The Woman Who Inspired Me

 🌻 The Woman Who Inspired Me

Every homesteader has a beginning.

For me, it wasn't a television show, a social media page, or a book. It was my grandma.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be just like her.

I wanted to cook like she cooked.

I wanted to can like she canned.

I wanted to sew like she sewed.

She didn't call it "homesteading." It was simply the way she lived. She worked hard, took care of her home, grew what she could, made meals from scratch, and welcomed family around her table with love.

Looking back, I realize she was teaching me so much more than recipes.

She was teaching me patience while we waited for jars to seal.

She was teaching me resourcefulness by making the most of what we had.

She was teaching me that a home isn't measured by how much you own, but by how much love you give.

Those lessons have stayed with me my entire life.

Today, every jar I can, every meal I cook, every flower I plant, every chicken I raise, and every stitch I sew reminds me of her.

She is the reason I became The Oklahoma Homestead Woman.

One of my favorite memories is her Texas Yum Yum dessert. My brother loved it so much that somewhere along the way, he claimed Grandma's recipe as his own. We've laughed for years that he "stole" it so only he could make it. I'm hoping he'll share it with me so I can include the original family version in my cookbook.

As I work on The Oklahoma Homestead Woman Family Favorites, I realize this cookbook is about more than food.

It's about preserving a way of life.

It's about remembering the people who taught us.

It's about making sure the next generation knows where they came from.

Every recipe has a story.

Every story has a memory.

And every memory begins with someone who inspired us.

For me, that someone will always be my grandma.

Thank you, Grandma, for showing me how to love through cooking, canning, sewing, and caring for a home.

Your legacy lives on every day at my table.

❤️

"Some recipes feed the body... Grandma's recipes fed the soul."

— Marcia Raiburn

The Oklahoma Homestead Woman 🌻