Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum

I have been a huge “Little House on the Prairie” fan ever since I was a little kid. I grew up reading the books, watching the TV show, and pretending I was Laura Ingalls by running around in our hay field with my own bonnet. As I got older, I was more inspired by the fact that Laura Ingalls was a real person and her books are true stories. I think this is probably where my love of autobiographies came from.

It has always been on my bucket list to visit the Ingalls home(s). So when we moved from California to North Carolina, I knew making a pit stop to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum in Missouri was a must-do!

Quick facts:

• The Rocky Ridge Farm white farmhouse remains as it was in 1957.
• The Wilders arrived in Mansfield from South Dakota on August 30, 1894.
• The Wilders bought the forty-acre farm with a 1-bedroom log cabin on the property. They built onto the house one room at a time.
• It took 17 years to finish all the home additions.
• The Little House books were written by hand at both homes on Rocky Ridge Farm.
• Rose Wilder had the Rock House built with modern conveniences for her parents as a Christmas gift when she returned home in 1928.
• Laura wrote the first four Little House books while living in the Rock House at age 65.
• Laura and Almanzo lived in the Rock House until 1936, when they returned to their beloved Farm House where they spent the rest of their days.

It is located in a small town. The Rocky Ridge Farm property contains two of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s houses: the Farm House and the Rock House. The Farm House is the one Almanzo built for Laura after they moved from South Dakota to Missouri as a married couple. Laura was only 4’11” in height, so everything in the house was custom-built for her size. The kitchen counters, stove, etc. are all lower than you would see in a typical house.

During our visit in summer 2015, they were doing construction on a new, bigger museum (which I hope to visit one day). While we were there, there was a small museum and gift shop on the property by the farmhouse. The Museum displayed clothes, books, quilts, belongings, etc. owned by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The gift shop had a wide variety of memorabilia items to choose from. We got a couple of teacup replicas of the same blue and white China dish pattern Laura owned and some other small trinkets.

The grave sites of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Almanzo Wilder, and their daughter Rose Wilder Lane are also located in the local town cemetery of Mansfield, MO. We drove by on our way out of town to visit.

Since our visit, they have added the new and bigger museum, restored the Wilder family walking trail (which was commonly used as a walking path between both houses), and a vegetable garden (which honors Laura’s passion for gardening and depicts a 19th-century garden).

Note:

During the time of our visit they did not allow you to take photos inside of the homes in order to help preserve the old and delicate items. Hence why I don’t have more photos.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum is located at 3060 Highway A, Mansfield, Missouri 65704. You can learn more about the hours, info, events, etc. on their website here.

If you’re making your way through Missouri, I definitely recommend making this a pit stop along the way. You will not be disappointed!

Gender Reveal Theme Ideas

When it comes to gender reveal announcements and/or parties, there is no shortage of theme ideas to run with. Whether you plan to have a big party with family and friends or just a little celebration, you want a cute theme with photo ops.

I never did a big gender reveal party with any of my kids, but I always made sure to do some cute photos for a social media announcement. If you’re looking for some fun ideas to do on your own, you came to the right place! Here are some of the cutest and most creative themes I have discovered in my own search.

Pink or Blue

It’s an oldie but a classic. Why not just use the generic gender colors of pink and blue? With my first pregnancy, we did pictures holding blue and pink glitter and then blew the color of our baby. I love the photos!

He or She

Again, this is pretty generic, but I had a friend that did this theme with Hershey chocolate bars, and it was so cute. On some of the bars, they colored blue in the “HErsey,” and they colored pink on some of the “HERsey”. So simple and affordable but still cute.

Bows or Baseballs

This is my personal favorite as I love bows and baseball! With my daughter, I made her bow things and my son was baseball everything. This is a great option.

Tutus or Touchdowns

If one or both of the parents are ballet/dance or football fans, this one is perfect.

Staches or Lashes

This is another cutesy option that is easy to make your own décor and photo booth props using mustaches and eyelashes.

Prince or Princess

Perfect for the Disney lover! You could use specific ones from a Disney movie or just generic prince or princess decorations with crowns.

Buck or Doe

If you are an avid hunter, then this one is for you! You can still make it cute with Bambi or nursery cutesy deer.

Cupcake or Stud Muffin

If you love sweets or are doing a cake/cupcake reveal, why not try this theme?

Wheels or Heels

This is another of my favorites. Think cars, Hot Wheels, NASCAR, etc., and high heels, dress up, etc.

Layup or Makeup

This is perfect for the basketball and/or fashion fans.

Little Mister or Little Sister

If you have an older sibling (or more), why not try this simple and rhyming option? I used this as my announcement for my second pregnancy, where we held up Big Sister and Little Mister signs (see below), and I loved how it came out!

Guns or Glitter

This one is for the military or hunting dads out there. Like I’ve already mentioned, I love doing the glitter pictures. It would be easy for decorations.

Guns or Roses

A variation of the previous one but for rock and roll fans. Or for those who don’t like the glittery mess.

Dresses or Messes

Think cutesy dresses, tutus, things little girls love, etc., and dirt, monster trucks, dinosaurs, things little boys love, etc.

There are so many great ideas out there for gender reveal themes. What are your favorite ones? Have any other ideas I left out? Leave a comment below and let me know! Get creative and have fun making wonderful memories for you and your growing family!