She’s Prairie Smoke — In the Making
🌾 She’s Prairie Smoke — The Beauty in Becoming
When I started creating She’s Prairie Smoke, I thought I was just building another hat. But somewhere between the layers of gingham, jute, and conchos, I realized — she was building me too.
Growing up on our family farm in southern Illinois, I learned early that beautiful things take time. Daddy always said, “You can’t rush what God’s still growing.” Whether it was cattle, hay, or a garden full of sweet corn, every season had its rhythm — a time to plant, a time to water, and a time to wait.
I grew up an only child, but not a lonely one. There was always work to be done — cows to feed, calves to wean, or chase around the pen on horseback when my parents were still at work. There was hay to be raked and fields to plow. Dad would say, “Have this field raked up by the time I get home,” and I’d do my best to make him proud. Those long summer evenings with the hum of the tractor and the smell of fresh-cut alfalfa taught me what steady work and quiet faith look like.
I didn’t realize it then, but God was doing more than teaching me to care for the land. He was teaching me to care for myself — to dig deep, to show up, and to trust that He’d equip me for the road ahead.
All of it was preparing me for the years to come — for raising our boys, caring for the farm and the cattle, and tending to the chickens, horses, and eventually, the sheep. We had just brought the sheep home three weeks before Randy went to be with the Lord. I knew nothing about sheep, but God knew exactly what He was doing. He knew I’d need something gentle to care for in the middle of all that heartache — something that would keep me grounded when the world felt upside down.
Looking back, I see how every season of that farm — every sunrise, every muddy boot, every newborn calf — was shaping me for a life I couldn’t yet imagine.
And someday soon, I’ll tell you about show season on the Graham ranch — those long, hot days in the barn, the smell of shavings and show sheen, and how the boys learned that same mix of hard work and heart that my daddy once taught me.
She’s Prairie Smoke carries all of that — the grit, the grace, the dust of the earth, and the breath of heaven. She’s a reminder that we’re all still in the making.
God’s not finished with any of us yet. He’s weaving threads of grace, tying off loose ends, and adding layers we might not understand just yet. Sometimes we don’t see the masterpiece until we step back and realize He’s been shaping us all along.
That’s why I wanted to share She’s Prairie Smoke before she was “done.” Because there’s something sacred in the process — in showing the mess, the middle, the moments when it’s not yet perfect but already becoming.
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” — Philippians 1:6
So here she is — a little wild, a little undone, and full of promise. Just like us.
🤍 Ann
She’s Prairie Smoke — handcrafted, faith-rooted, and coming soon to Painted Sky Boutique.
🌻 A Porch Light Reflection
When was the last time you thanked God for the “in between”?
The part of your story that’s still being written — the rough edges, the long waits, the quiet work He’s doing where no one sees?
Maybe today’s the day to pause and remember that you, too, are Prairie Smoke — still in the making, still being refined by His hands.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the work You’re doing in us, even when we can’t see the whole picture. Help us to trust the process, to find beauty in the middle, and to remember that You’re shaping something sacred within us. Amen.