A Country Christmas and a Christmas Party!

It's begining to look alot like Christmas,

Every where you go........in the Farmhouse!

Christmas preparations have been underway for a few days now here at our Farmhouse.  My all time most Favorite holiday ever!  Who doesn't love it?  The joy, the love, the cheer?  There is so much celebrating going on during this season you can just see the love! 


I tend to go a little nuts decorating for Christmas, and was putting some more holiday decor out yesterday, pulling my decorations out of the slumber of their delicate wrappings.

While I pulled those ornaments out and carefull unwrapped each one my mind began to wander back to last year when I had packed them away.  I remember wondering what things would have changed in our lives from that Christmas season to the next, the next time I would see these items.  Here I am,  a whirlwind of a year later and I now know the answers....... 


Things have changed at our farmhouse, for our family over the couse of this past year as things often do.  Things have changed for alot of families.  So many families need a little extra help this year with the state of things, and I remind my family of that often, especially when they get the ugly "I wan't this and I would like that"....I say "ewwww"  you need some medicine for that!  They laugh and are reminded that we all must do our parts to fill the toys for tots and donate to the local food banks to help, that is what this season is all about after all, the giving spirit of Christmas!    Yet inspite of all the changes that have occurred in the world, there is one constant at Christmas, the love!  

Excitement and traditions.. 

What I have always loved most about the hoildays is the tradition.  Baking christmas cookies, the decorating, the planning.  Family heirloom ornaments passed down from grandmas and great aunts now hanging on the farmhouse tree.  A winter's evening drive to sight see the holiday light displays in our neck of the woods.  Christmas movies, warm cookies and cocoa, a Christmastime Teaparty.  Horse drawn carraige rides through our old town.  An annual cookie swap and holiday breakfast.  My children's holiday chorus concert at school and secret Santa sale.  Visiting with Santa,  Christmas eve service at our country church.


The twinkle in my children's eyes....these are the things that I love most about the Christmas season, no matter what changes in a year's time these are the things that mean Christmas to me and my family.

Before I explain the Party invitation below, here are some pictures from our farmhouse photo album of our

Christmas porch......

Click photos to enlarge....


I like to mix artificial and fresh greens on my front porch.  In our neck of woods it stays cold enough for the fresh greens to stay alive without worry.  My family and I go for a hike through the woods on our property to take fresh cuttings of cedar, pine boughs and holly.  The kids love this each year, it is like an Christmas adventure, we spend an afternoon searching for our natural decor, decorate and then head inside to warm our frozen hands and fill our bellies with some warm cocoa. 
Everything we cut is free.....
an old fashioned low cost way to decorate your home!

I have a wagon on the porch that I change out for the seasons, I reused the autumn corn stalks and dried cobs, amost the greens to give an added punch of color.  I love how they all look together and it is reused or natural.  Every now and again we can hear a squirrel in the wagon munching on the corn!

A sled my husband bought me from an antiques store about 12 years ago.  I decorate it each year with an antique pair of skates a find I picked up on an anniversary trip to my favorite weekend getaway place, Jim Thorpe, PA, about 5 years ago..yes, those are the presents I like, old, used and antique!

Putting our out of season gardening tools to work for decorations.....doesn't cost a dime!  Hmmmm sleds and gardening, interesting my husbands says, lol....why not!

I like to fill our empty window boxes with more fresh greens to brighten them up too.

The lantern below was picked up in September at a craft show for $2.50, I got two of them.  It didn't quite look like that when I bought it though.  I stripped the neon paint (yes neon green paint) from the glass, repainted the lantern and frosted the glass, and now it sits nicely in my wagon. 

Another one of my signs, hangs in the wagon to greet my visitors at the door!

Now, for the invitation below.....

It's a Blogger Christmas Party gals! Holiday music, food and decor! We're going to have us some holiday fun, Rockin' around the Christmas Tree I sure hope ya'll can come!

I have been hard at work preparing for the festivities here at the farmhouse, just like one of Santa's lil elves! The garland is hung, lights are lit, the fires will be going and the cider will be warm and ready for your arrival! A good old fashioned Christmas Party will be going on here at the Farmhouse!

Oh and feel free to bring a friend or two if you know anyone who loves them a farmhouse christmas, be sure to pass the invitation on, the more the MERRIER! Don't forget to leave a comment below to RSVP!

Come with your BELLS on!

Well I hope that you are all enjoying the Christmas Season

absorbing all of the fun and love that is going around,

"Jesus' Birthday Party sure is big and fun",

as my middle daughter exclaimed when she was little!!!  Too cute!

Take care now!

~Dee~

Holiday Sign Giveaway.....

Oh my!  I am only about 6 hours late to the party girls, sorry!  For some reason when ever I set a deadline to have a post up on this here blog of mine I seem to have a technological argument with blogger!  Notice my header picture is slightly askew still, lol...  Once again, better late than never! 

I ended up with 146 entries to this contest once I doubled all of my customers entries.  I used a random number generator which shot out the number 75.....alrighty then, number 75 it is!  Soooo.....

Congratulations to Lara of Country Sweetie!

I had the opportunity to check out her blog and I really enjoyed it.  She's one busy momma....raising her babies and going to school.  Just send me an email Lara with your information and it will be on it's way to it's your home by the weekend!

Thank you to all of you who left such sweet comments regarding my home and my signs, I really do put alot of love into making both!  I sure did love paying some new and old bloggers a visit, there are soo many creative and captivating people out there! 

Also, to those of you who have placed your order with Farmhouse Mercantile...thank you all for blessing me with your business, I truly do appreciate it!

I will be back in a day or so when this stubborn ol' blogger of mine decides it will let me load my photos....I have alot of the farmhouse done up in it's holiday finery, almost ready to share.  Until then, I hope that you are enjoying the holiday season! 

Take Care now!

Dee

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

The Aprons are on and we are chopping, stirring, cooking and baking up a Thanksgiving storm here at the Farmhouse!

The table is set.....

 banners are hung, centerpiece is made.  

The bird is ready to go into the oven first thing tomorrow and the family is on their way, over the river and through the woods!

My lil' indian is fluffing his feathers for tomorrows feast...

I finally caught him hiding in the next room....I kept slicing apples for pie and they kept disappearing! 

He said "I don't want to wait for pie momma, I want to eat apples now"!  Lol....

But I managed to pull it together afterall....a Rustic Apple Pie, nothing fancy here!  Thanks to my Sugar Pie Sister, Aunt Ruthie, for her Pie Crust recipe....Y'all have to give that a try if you haven't already!  I still have some work to do in the decorative pie department though, LOL! Now, onto the pumpkin pies, my favorite!  But, mmmmmm.....it sure does smell good here!

A Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Take Care now,

Dee

(P.S....  Giveaway is still going on, comments can be left in previous post.)

Thanksgiving, Family Memories & a Holiday Giveaway!

 One last ode to the harvest season before one more holiday of the year is quietly ushered onward.  Another metamorphisis has occurred here at our farmhouse, the jack-o-lanterns have been put to rest in the barn for another year, and the pilgrims have been put out upon the shelves.   Psst...you can now click on my photos to enlarge them if you like...

We have a standard menu prepared homemade each year, I like to try at least one new recipe to add to our traditional fare each year so I will be searching some cooking blogs to find the perfect one to try this year.

My favorite holiday item would probably have to be our sweet potatoes praline, a recipe added to my holiday menu years ago. One passed on to me by my sweet SIL's mother, someone dear to my family. She has been so good to us....Aunt Me-Me, but she and Uncle Sam are really another set of grandparents to my children. A name given to her by my oldest daughter when just a little tot because she couldn't properly pronounce her real name. So they are known to us as Me-Me's Sweet Po-tater Pralines....(You have to say it with a Texas accent too, since our Me-Me is from Texas all the way)......mmmm....like a dessert for a side dish.  Speaking of my favorite dessert.....Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving for sure!

I have so many wonderful memories of the holidays as a child too. The bowl of mixed nuts my Na-Na used to put out that my brothers and I would sit and crack the shells so much that our finger tips would be stained from the wallnuts with a tinge of pink because they were so sore. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade would always be on the Television while the meal was being cooked, and the ever so popular kids table. I don't think that I got to sit with the adults til I was married! But what a glorious day when you were asked to sit amongst the adults!  Later, I was a cheerleader when I was a teenager and there was always the Thanksgiving Game, we froze our tails off!  These days I cook for my inlaws, my husband and children all join in the preparations. 

All the preparation and love that goes into the holiday, the childrens faces and the simplicity of graciously enjoying one anothers company and good food.....

I have been making preparations for the Christmas Season here at the farmhouse, in addition to painting many, many signs, making gifts and crafts but I like to take things slowly season by season. I will be doing a Christmas post after Thanksgiving has been given its appropriate recognition. You can however, do some Holiday Shopping in the Mercantile (link top left hand column). Be sure to head on over the and check it out!

http://farmhousesignshop.blogspot.com/

And now for the last giveaway of the year......Mrs. Claus Corner Cafe sign for the holiday season.......

Mrs. Claus Cafe....a distressed and glittered with diamond dust sign accent for your holiday home. What would I like in return you say? Nothing, the only requirement is that you are a follower of Farmhouse Country Style blog....If you would like to put it on your blog as well please feel free to link to this post, but it is one entry per follower who leaves a comment below.

A bonus to any customer of Farmhouse Mercantile, my sale blog, is that if you have purchased a sign from me in the past year, then your name has automatically been entered twice into this drawing! So be sure to leave me a comment below if you are interested in this cutie pie sign!  I hope that you like it too!  The giveaway will close at Midnight, Dec. 1st...be announced on the 2nd after 5pm....and shipped out by the following Saturday.  Good luck!

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and eat lots of wondeful foods that fill your tummies with love and gratitude!

Take Care now, ya hear?

Dee

A season of

GRATITUDE...

What a wonderful reason to celebrate a holiday! Our seasonal celebration of gratitude...thanksgiving. A time for reflecting upon all that is good in our lives and perhaps even a time to make things brighter for one another.

All too often I find myself in a worrisome panic over what I haven't accomplished, completed or need to find the time to do. Lately, I have decided to shift my focus and work hard on my thinking. Work very hard to ground myself with the trust that I have all that I need before me, my health, my family's heath, a roof over our head, food to nourish us and heat to warm us, and most of all the love of those who care for me and family and friends to love back.

Thank the good lord for those bountiful blessings!

Especially in times such as these ,when everyone is struggling to make ends meet and futures may sometimes seem uncertain. Relecting on the these holidays can really put things into focus.

By changing my attitude to gratitude I can put myself at peace. It is just so amazing at how things can turn around for me once I have set my mind on doing so. Putting a focus on all the good in my life and being grateful for all that I have been blessed with.

I have been so busy painting signs over the past few weeks....I looked around the other day and they were everywhere! Drying on the counters, dining room table, coffee table, if it was a flat surface you could find a sign there! I am so grateful for the work though :o)...so, I am not complaining! For that I am grateful!

Here is what you can find at my farmhouse on painting days.....

warning: it's a scary sight to behold!

Dining room taken over.

First, second....sometimes third coat.....drying, sanding, painting, drying, drying.....

This is a hand that has been busy making signs.....actually that really isn't too bad...

it has been much worse!

Kitchen table taken over by paint.....ohhh boy!

Finished signs

some waiting for touch-ups, some to be sealed...some for wire and some for hangers...

Pssst.....Let me let you in on a secret...there's a giveaway hidden in that pile somewhere for one of my wonderful followers....will be begin sometime before Friday afternoon....

Once they are sealed and ready to go......

Pictures are taken to post in the Mercantile...

Well, I try to take the photos...

and....

sometimes, I am interupted....

by.....

chickens....

Chickens being chased by a little boy.....

and sometimes that little boy also pops up in a few of my

sign photos...

lol....

and then the chicken runs away....

and the little boy stays for one more photo before resuming his

chicken chase....

poor Abby the chicken....she sure got her exercise today!

Alrighty....days 1 & 2 down! Now only about 8 more to go!

Soon to be listed in the mercantile in a few days, promise.

Shoot me an email if you see anything that you like!

Boy! It sure is alot of work for such a small time operation!

If you are looking for holiday gifts be sure to check out the

Farmhouse Mercantile
http://farmhousesignshop.blogspot.com/
for those finished signs! I hope that you are enjoying your season of gratitude....

Take Care,

Dee

Indian Summer Days and a GBP giveaway!

I looooove Gooseberry Patch!

I have purchased many things from their catalogs over the years and I also had a (ridiculously simple) recipe published in one of their Christmas Cookbooks about 7 or 8 years ago, which I will have to dig out and post one of these days. So I have to spread the news when they are offering something wonderful..............sooooooo.....

If you are a GBP lover too, get on over to their new blog and check it out, it is soo cute and they are having 2 giveaways, one for a $200 G.C. (Yipppeee!) and another for 3 of their awesome cookbooks. Click the link on my side bar, scroll down and sign up!

You can send the email links to all your friends and sign up for the G.C. For the cookbooks you only have to post a link on your blog to sign up! How easy is that? Definately worth a try.

Their cookbooks are soooo wonderful, they have great recipes, craft projects and ideas, if you have never read one you will LOVE it! (no I do not work for them, I really do like their products! He, he!).

As for the autumn porch decorating contest thrown by Front porch ideas and more....THANK YOU to all of you who took the time to leave such wonderful comments for me, I love all my awesome blogger friends, your support was touching!!

My farmhouse porch wasn't the winner but Congratulations to Dee of Medford, Massachusetts, her beautiful porch was the winner! She was very deserving, what a cute porch she has! I have to say there were so many beautiful porches entered I just don't know how they made their final decisions, it must have been so hard!
Here's the link if you would like to drool a little over the other contestants photos, I did (I am a porch lover of all sorts)......

http://www.front-porch-ideas-and-more.com/autumn-porch-decorating-contest-entries.html

With this post I will leave you with a few photos (okay, alot of photos) of a day trip we took the other day to my most favorite local historical places....Wharton State Forest. We dropped everything on one of those Indian Summer Days and headed out of doors for some sunshine and fresh air. and picture posin'.

The Old Saw Mill

A once abandoned town, now state forest, it is a historical site that is smack dab in the middle of the Pinelands, and it is nothing short of beautiful this time of the year. Once a functioning village, it made supplies during the revolutionary war for the continental army. As an iron working village it once used the bog iron that is rich in this area in it's production and later the village became a glassmaking community. Lots of history here, our family loves history.

The Corn Crib

My 11 year old daughter, said to me while there, "Do you ever wonder what keeps bringing us back to this place over and over again?", exclaiming how much she likes going there too. I did wonder once she said that, maybe something more than the peacfulness of this beautiful place has something more that keeps drawing me back there.

Do you have any place that brings you back time and time again, a place that you could never tire of?

Grist Mill

My 11 year old Kart Wheelin' Superstar!

The beautiful Autumn Colors.....enjoy the splendor

before winter takes hold!

My oldest (left) & a BFF....

She can't leave home without at least one of them!

THE HEN HOUSE

My tuckered out toddler....

Yes, he slept all the way home!

I will be back later this week with another post,

I am in the midst of finishing up a few projects and I have a surprise for you all too.

I hope you all are well and enjoying the beauty of this season!!

Hugz :o)......

Dee