Simple Country Christmas

I feel a real connection to all the women who have lived in this old farmhouse for the last 200 years.  Some I know about and some I just imagine.  I'm taking the house back to it's roots for this holiday season.  Much of my decor will be done as it was before Pottery Barn and dollar stores.

I started wondering what the lady of the house did in the height of the Depression when money was scarce enough for necessities and non existent for frills.

I imagined her turning to what was at hand to make the house cheery.  Of course she'd have to use what nature offered. ~

The boys are gone to school and she settles in to work some craft magic.  She clips some twigs from the bush by the chicken coop and wires together little bunches of  cheery red. ~

The old cat doesn't much like being evicted from his napping spot on the potato sack burlap but she needs some fabric for her door garland. ~

She clips branches from the fir trees and starts to wire it all together with bits of bailing wire.  ~

Crop prices are so low that the farm can't support them and John has had to go to the city for work.  They all miss him terribly, but the boys have stepped up to the plate and are shouldering much of the farm work.  Her eldest boy did himself proud by getting a pheasant and she's saved the feathers for some pretty touches.

The bows have been carefully saved from Christmases before and are taken from their tissue wrappings to give a very merry air to the garland.  She nips the bells off the old cutter harness and adds them to the arrangement.  They haven't had a horse in many years, but oh how she's misses those winter sleigh rides of her youth! ~

   

The tail feathers from the pheasant look grand in the bucket of greenery. ~

The boys haven't had time to cut a tree for Christmas, so this will have to do.

John is coming home for the holidays tonight and the boys will meet him at the train station.  There's a chicken roasting in the oven and an apple pie cooling on the windowsill.  Just a few more touches and the decorating will be done. ~

The porch light is on to welcome all the family home.  There they are now; her fine husband and sons!  They were so late she was starting to worry.  Ahhh, look, they're proudly hauling a Christmas tree home to her!

And, that is how I amused myself while I worked on the door that has been decorated by so many ladies before me. ~

I'm off to see Farm Girl tomorrow and I'll draw the winner for a set of these hand knit Christmas trees from

   

I'll have Amish Girl do the drawing.  I know you all trust her.  See, she's lost her first tooth and was very brave about it! ~

Good luck everyone!

I'm partying this week at:  Transformed Tuesdays, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Christmas Decorating On A Budget, Tweak It Tuesday, Make It Pretty Monday, A Return To Loveliness, Frugal Friday, Fantabulous Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Simply Creations Link Party, Inspiration Friday, Thrifty Things Friday, Tis The Season 2012 Christmas Link Party

I'm thrilled my door was featured on Christmas Decorating Party On A Budget at Creative Cain Cabin!