Monday, December 12, 2016

Learning to Relax at Home




Hello Dear Ladies,

Included on this page today are the wonderful paintings of Susan Rios. It would be such a cheerful addition to the home to have paintings like this would it not?  For many people, the price for such great art is quite out of reach, but the pictures are posted here so that you might get some ideas to make your home cheerful and bright. 


There is always so much to keep you busy at home, and that is a good reason to have a master list and a daily list of reminders. 

Of course you know that it is not possible to always have that perfect look in the house, especially if you are busy and active and your family spends most of the time actually living in the house. To keep encouraged, it might be enjoyable to get something "picture-perfect" long enough for a memorable picture.


Having a bright, neat spot somewhere in the house is restful to the emotions and helps your family appreciate order and beauty.

Having no particular issue to address today, I am just saying hello and broadcasting what I call "Housewife Radio" just to express the principle of learning to relax at home.




One of the follies of feminism is how it programs women from a very young age, even down to kindergarten, to be concerned about things not related to the home. Young girls become burdened down with pressures of school and grades and being smart, and that becomes more pressure to get jobs and make money and live on their own, where the pressure increases.  Here at Home Living, you will find the Biblical alternative of letting young ladies be home, learn the routines of cooking, sewing, cleaning, reading to little children, the art of visiting and conversation, letter writing, and all the things that seem to be lost in the culture around us. 

The home is the center for family conversation. Children learn to exchange ideas and speak back and forth with different age groups, rather than just their peers.  Home is a center for evangelism and hospitality, both which can work together. Home is for developing talents and creative skills. 

There is so much that can be learned in the home, from appliance and house repair, food production, serving others, and even nursing normal illnesses.Many ladies at home can attest to the comfort of being brought a cup of hot soup to nourish them while in bed with a headache or cold. These things that happen in the home are far too devalued today.

Not everything has to happen "somewhere else."  Folks start their days getting ready to go "somwhere else. " People get their social life "somewhere else." They do their creative work "somewhere else." They eat "somewhere else."  They go on vacation "somewhere else."  Children are taught to grow up and go "somewhere else." 

At Home Living, this author has learned that one reason people want to go "somewhere else" is because the home is not as cheerful and uplifting as it could be.  Those of you who are older can remember tablecloths on the tables, Grandmother's china brought out for special days,  bright quilts on the beds, shiny floors and bathtubs. There may even have been fresh flowers from the garden set in jelly jars or tin cans, just for a bright spot here and there. Conversations stimulated the intellect and satisfied the soul. Knowledge and wisdom was passed from father to son, in the home.

Most importantly, good values cannot be eroded as easily when the family is home for the most productive and teachable hours of the day. Here, they reinforce the Biblical standards and help one another stay faithful to the Word.  Yes, everyone errs and sins, but the home is a place that stabilizes and recovers the soul. It is here the sympathy, forgiveness and restoration is complete.

The world and its corruptness is literally knocking at the door of the home, with its news, magazines, music and whatever else.  That is one reason the New Testament teaches in Titus 2 for the Christian women to guide and guard the home. The home is a word that means "house and those who live in it."  So a Christian lady will guard from the false teachings of the world, and then guide the minds of the family to what is good and acceptable in the sight of God.  It is in the home that she is in charge. It is her realm.

Make the home a place you want to be so that the best words you can hear are "Let's stay home."
Dress Ingedients:

Pattern - McCalls  with sleeves from a vintage pattern. See previous dress sewing post.
Fabric -woven cotton , made in USA Hobby Lobby $5.00 a yard $20.00 ( This is more than I usually pay)
Thread, zipper $2.50
Cotton eyelet lace -Hobby Lobby $3 
Time to make: about 5 hours spread over several days, not including travel and shopping.


The fabric has  a sparkle sheen to it and it washes well, without diminishing the shine.



Cotton dresses are so comfortable.


The cotton fabric looks like this on the inside....

...and this is the shiny side.

16 comments:

Dawn said...

Lady Lydia, you are just gorgeous in your new dress! I hope you plan on wearing it on Christmas.

I surely needed your blog today what with feeling a bit frazzled with Christmas preparation on top of regular life.

Your emphasis on the home being an oasis of warmth, peace, and refreshment is so important to remember. I feel sorry for everyone out there in the rat race of modern life. I'm so lucky to be home to make a cozy and pretty place for loved ones and myself to enjoy.

What a relief it must be for my husband to walk into a warm and comfy house with something good cooking in the kitchen and a scented candle in the living room, and a serene and happy wife to greet him after a hard day of work topped off with a crummy commute in the dark and snow.

Between what the media, other people, and our own sense of guilt pushing us to do more and more and to do it better and better, it's easy to become stressed out and then everyone's miserable. The old sayings "Happy wife = happy life" and "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" are so true.

living from glory to glory said...

Dearest Lydia, Firstly may I say what a lovely and festive dress that is! And the photos you picked are some of my favorites! And the point you made about it all starting in kindergarten is the truth; so many are teaching that anything of value is outside the home at that is so not true! Home is the only place we can truly be all we are called to be, and yes, we can do things that can still be wonderful and fulfilling right in our own spheres of influence. And we are not subjected to all the things you do not want to be exposed to!
Merry Christmas to you and yours...
Hugs, Roxy

Lydia said...

Dawn, what a nice descrition you write of the home life. Thank you.

Roxy, so true, all this pressure...even kindergarden girls trying to compete and be accepted for being everything but kind and loving in the home.

vintage ellen said...

Your dress is lovely and will be perfect for Christmas(and Valentine's Day)! My mother practically forced me to go to college with the best of intentions. I had my doubts before going but gave it a try. Only lasted three weeks! I had a series of jobs but was happiest during the years I stayed home with our children and now that I am retired. My husband loved having me home full time. I understand that it is not for everyone but it should be an option that is just as important and valuable as a career. I so enjoy your blog and always read it first when I see the notice in my email. Thanks for sharing the joys and comforts of home!

Linda said...

Your dress is beautiful.
Thank you for your encouraging posts.
I love to start my day reading them.
Linda

ladypinktulip said...

I love your dress it is so elegant and looks beautiful on you! I first learned of Susan Rios Art here on your blog. Her paintings are so absolutely reflective of how I see home life. Thank you for this great encouragement today about loving and living in our homes in a way that is pleasant for all. Love Kelly T.

Alex said...

I enjoyed your post, and think there is much truth in it. Many a lovely moment at home is missed by those who are constantly craving to be 'somewhere else' and do 'something else.

I like the dress very much ~ is it for Christmas? Its nice to see the more Regency lines on this design. Long sleeves are very practical in the winter, I am not sure how Jane Austen's young heroines stayed warm! I suppose they wore a wrap or stole but even so...brrr!
Draughty English houses were not known for being snug!

A Happy Advent to you.

Lynn said...

I love the new phrase you came up with..."housewife radio"...That is a perfect title!

Lydia said...

Alex, the Regency era dresses in Jane Austen stories had attachable long sleeves for colder weather, amd they wore long, warm wool coates in the Regency style like the dresses. You can see thse coats, sleeves, jackets and other warm things in the movies Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice (1980's version, and Sense a d Sensibility. Though the dresses may look thin a d cold, there were many layers of clothing that included woolens. They knew how to dress warmly.

Dawn, the dress will be worn at home for company, to church, the grocery store, and at home. My favorite thing to domis change into something nice after all the housework is done, and have afternoon tea.

Secondhand Blessings said...

Very pretty dress!

I liked how you mentioned just being home to bring a bowl of soup to someone who is sick. It saddens me to not have the opportunity to be a home to give a bowl of soup during the daytime hours to my husband who have been battling a cold/flu for a two weeks now. My husband is in the process of having to leave the work force due to a physical disability.I would like your readers to know how blessed they are to be able to stay home and serve someone just with a bowl of homemade soup and perhaps a cup of tea. The role reversal of a wife who has to work because her husband can not, is a challenge for the man who feels he can no longer provide for his family. I've been a reader of your blog for many years. You continue to inspire me and still allow me to be a "homemaker" when I am at home.

A. Law said...

Dear Lydia,
This is a wonderful post. Thank you for reminding us that the simple things are so important !
I love being a homemaker. And I love Housewife Radio !
Your new dress is beautiful :-)
Best wishes to you,
Aline L.

Lydia said...

Aline, Thank you. It will be nice when I get callers on Housewife Radio :-). We are working on this.

BCronmillr, your observations are valuable. Once y
A woman is forced to work, her world changes and she is less in control of her own life. This is something feminists lie about to young girls in schools. They say its all freedom and independence but it is less freedom than in the home.

Unknown said...

Oh, you look so cute in this picture, I love it!
---Love, Julie

Unknown said...

Oh, you look so cute in this picture, I love it!
---Love, Julie

Songsparrowgarden said...

Truly lovely dress Lydia. . .and another fabulous post. I'll watch the vid shortly. To be home is a wonderful thing. You express it, every best part of it, so well. Why anyone would even want to go out after reading your words I cannot imagine. . .except they're not reading your words. Everything is better when done at home.

Kimberly said...

This happened just today on Christmas
My uncle was ill so Christmas as planned was cancelled. I frantically thought of where we could go
My husband and young son were very content at home but I was not. I didn't want to admit it but up until.reading this I tried to hide my disappointment and be present in the day. Home should be a place of rest and peace and it seems that way for everyone but me. My son's playroom is the living roon and it has gotten good use with the cold weather . I need just as you said, a spot of beauty and order
Thank you