i just recently heard of Barn Quilts- what a wonderfully beautiful idea. My friend Amy has some beautiful pictures of a barn painting that took place this summer. Wouldn't that be a good excuse for a road trip this fall with the kids- go and hunt down some barn quilts and pick up some local harvest as well along the way!
I wanted to share a couple of cherished pieces in my home that come from my farm heritage on my mama's side. The farm where my mama was raised was in Northern Iowa. I lived there for a short time when my dad was in the Air Force and getting his medical training. Growing up my sisters and I would spend 2 weeks every summer with my grandparents helping on the farm. My grandmother's uncle and father had built the biggest barn. In our own family folklore I remember stories of the tornado that hit the barn well before I was born. My earliest memories always were of half the barn- no longer used to shelter the dairy cows, but to house the tractors with an easier and much larger door! Somewhere along the way my mama and her father found a piece of the barn that my great great Uncle had signed when they were building the barn. Together my mama and her dad beveled the edges and refinished the piece of wood. For years this piece hung at my parents house and about 10 years ago my mama gave it to me, it lovingly hangs in my kitchen.
Another piece that I have from my farm heritage is a horseshoe that my grandma was saving. She had one for each of her grandkids from when her father use to have horses on the farm. I guess she wanted to pass a little luck onto each one of us! Both my grandparents have passed and the farm which my grandmother was able to see become a Century Farm is no longer in the family. But having these pieces reminds me of my past to help me see where I am to go I suppose!
Luckily I also have wonderful pictures like this of my mama when she was little! I don't think I can roadtrip to Iowa this fall, but I think I can definitely road trip with the boys to some beautiful barns including the spot of rural area I grew up and see the barn that was so magical for me growing up!
