Monday, April 09, 2018

Decoration Day at Home



The Peaceful Village by Henry John Yeend King



Someone gifted me with a subscription to Victoria magazine, and this month I found  myself looking more often at several photos in it, so much that I was carrying the magazine from place to place, even in the car, to look at the ones I was most attracted to.
Finally I took the magazine to the Dollar Tree and sized up the pictures with frames.

Most people do not like o cut up this kind of magazine, but the pictures I chose were repeated in the magazine in different ways. 
I like this photo but am not at all fond of the blurry photo foreground trend, so I didn't use this one.  Still, I would like to build this gazebo, if someone would tell me how to do it. My only skill is sewing.
I took the glass out of the frames to reduce the glare and decide if the pictures look good on the wall, before I add decoupage glue as a surface glaze to the picture.

And, because these little frames have a stand in back, and are lightweight, I can include one of the pictures in a tea-cup package for someone.

This house picture has a summery, take-my-breath-away look:

I do hope Victoria magazine goes on to use higher quality paper similar to what MagCloud provides or Jean de Arc Living; so much nicer to the touch. As of now, the quality is no better than BHG or Family Circle, and they aren't worth keeping for a long period of time.
When searching Pinterst, I came across this saying:

I wish someone had drummed this into my mind decades ago. It is better to invest in your family and your own home, first and foremost. That is your ministry and your responsibility. I know a lot of women at home that are made to feel guilty for being home, and they are sometimes told they are privileged, and then thy feel they should help so many other people. Then, they become exhausted, while at the same time they neglect their own homes and families.

Also, along that line of thinking, homemakers can feel they shouldn't indulge in creative enjoyment or any interest other than the work of housekeeping. Leisure and work can exist together in a good balance. 

This has always been the occupational hazard for preacher's wives.  In years to come, it is your investment of time, money, wisdom, etc. in your own family and house that will bring dividends to them and to you.  Regarding charity, I had to make a rule for myself to help others that I personally knew in some way, (email, blog, phone, neighbor) rather than donate to causes I had no personal contact with.  Women at home are not big corporations with extra money to give away, and so, with what they have, they can give to their own family and friends without guilt. This is particularly difficult when you see and hear requests for charity all around you.  We give the church amount we have purposed in our hearts (a free will offering according to as we have prospered) and then, as individual Christians, we can do things for others as we please.  

I have a ladies Bible class in my home each week, for which I provide  the lunch and tea time, and we make cards after class, to send to our members and our friends and relatives.  I believe this is a reasonable amount of time and expense. We don't have to always personally know someone, in order to make them a recipient of any gift we send, but we try to involve people we can trace back to people we actually know.

Women are natural helpers and nurturers, problem solvers, etc. but if that desire and drive is not regulated and confined in some way to the family and their sphere of influence, they can neglect their own people. Women only have so many hours in a day, and must use that time to create comfort for their own family.

There is no doubt a lot more to be said about is, but in general, being careful to direct our emotions to our family and friends, and not get too worried about the rest of the world (which we can't possibly support or solve or help) is a good way to keep stable and save your own family.

Today I'm adding these magazine pictures to my house, and choosing one to give away, just like we used to do in the old days.  I remember even back before frames were so available, how we decorated our walls with scenery pictures from magazines, as if it was wallpaper.   We also used our own art.  We had rough looking scrapbooks made of brown paper, in which we pasted (from glue made of flour and water) pictures from magazines. When we were sick in bed or were confined to the house because of cold weather, we enjoyed looking through these scrapbooks.

So if you are worried that you do not give enough charity, make an extra loaf of bread or a few cinnamon rolls, or give a little something of your own talent, but restrict the majority of your time for the family and the house.

This is one of the photos I liked, but I wish Victoria mag. would use a higher quality parchment type paper, more pleasant to the touch, similar to Jean De Arc magazine. The publication is worthy of it.

8 comments:

Jenny said...

What a lovely gift, Lydia! I love that you are using pretty pictures from the magazine. They all look so nice, especially the house. I could look at that one and dream a happy daydream of summer rambles. I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment toward charity. Little bits done here and there and that cause little disruption to my home are really the only things I can manage during this season of my life. Of course, if a true emergency were to arise, I'd help as best I could no matter the interruption, but day to day the quote you cited serves best.

Unknown said...

Lydia,
Thank you so much for this post. For me, this one ranks second behind your post on the problems of the world which you wrote in response to my question of how to manage our hearts regarding trouble.

Words cannot express how much the Lord uses your blog to inspire, calm and comfort me.

Thank you so very much.

Elizabeth

becky said...

Thank you for the encouragement. I am 58 and have 8 grandchildren-another on the way in October. My husband ,home and family are my 1st consideration in all things.
I am perceived in a strange way at church, because I don't work outside the home and not overly involved in all the things there. I am first always available to hubby and my grown kids and grandbabies. I LOVE it!!!!
Thank you!
Becky

Anonymous said...

Hi Lydia,
What a wonderful idea about the pictures, I have often framed pictures from calendars but have never thought of using the glue or removing the glass from the frame! My sentiments exactly about giving time and money to so many charities, no one person can give to them all, it can get completely overwhelming when so many requests from different causes are coming at you from all directions. I find that is also true with people asking for my time at church. I try to use the gifts that Lord has given me, but I really need to make sure I don't burn out and neglect my husband and home, it's a constant effort to make sure that doesn't happen. We must do what the Lord impresses upon our hearts in our own little corner of the world that he puts us in. And for women it should be our homes and families.
I learned about JR Miller from your blog and here is a quote from him that I believe tells the truth about giving. Here it is, thank you as always for your inspiring words! Lady Liza

"Many shrink from ministering to the poor, because they have not money to give. But money alone is the poorest alms ever bestowed. There are gifts which every true Christian, however poor, has to bestow — which are infinitely better than money.
The apostles gave no money. They had no silver nor gold to bestow.
Jesus never gave any money! We never read of Him giving a mite to any who were poor or in distress. And yet no man was ever such a lavish giver of beneficence as He. What Christ gave was loving service, pity, sympathy, compassion, tears, and personal help.
These are the coins that the Christian should chiefly give. They are coins that bear the stamp of Heaven. The image and superscription of Jesus, our great King, are upon them. They were minted in Heaven. They are better than gold — for money is a poor thing to give, without love. "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:3
Money will neither . . .
comfort the sad,
nor cheer the lonely,
nor lift up the fallen,
nor strengthen the faint,
nor support the tempted,
nor heal the broken-hearted,
nor soothe weariness,
nor wipe away tears.
Love-gifts are what the poor, suffering, and sorrowing most need. And these heavenly coins, the poorest Christian may scatter.
Let Christians go out into the world, and repeat everywhere the tender, beautiful, helpful ministry of Jesus — and they will do more to bless the world, than if they opened a mine of wealth and made thousands rich!"



Hannah said...

Lovely post!

Years ago, I parted with my collection of Victoria magazines, as we were moving across country and I was running out of room and boxes. It was a spur of the moment decision made under stress, and I regretted getting rid of them for years afterwards. Then one day, on a freebies site, a lady gave away her collection of Victoria magazines. I got back all the issues I had lost, plus many more. It was a happy day! I keep a few in a basket and rotate the issues to match the seasons. I love looking through them, especially the ones from the 90's with the Laura Ashley styles.

I love your blog. Thank you for sharing!

Adelaide said...

Dear Lady Lydia,

Thank you for your words of encouragement and wise advice.
Those pictures are so beautiful; I am planning a day-dream break wandering in the yard and garden of that house picture - I can already hear the birds, see the butterflies and smell the perfume of the flowers, trees and grass...
Your home and decorations are so lovely.
Many thanks,
Adelaide

Lydia said...

Im M ...such a good exposition in these words. So many modern religions, particularly the emergent church, emphasize the giving and charity to the point that many young Families are unable to enjoy life here, as they give so much to other countries. These people are hard working and barely able to keep up with expenses. They end up as poor as the people they are trying to help. The social gospel is what is being emphasized , by this constant screaming for funds. I know families that are so touched by the call to give, give, give, that they can't pay their own Bulls, have nothing set aside die their children, and cannot help their own friends. I thought it was interesting that you listed all the things Christ did, and none of it was money directly. My concern is young women get so tenderhearted they feel guilty for being so well off and they neglect their own family and friends.

Jenny said...

There are both spiritual and corporal works of mercy and both are good. Even just desiring to help is good. We should help when we can in the best way we can and not let our desire to help turn us into the Dickens character Mrs. Jellyby.