Tuesday, June 29, 2021

We Are Keeping Cool Like in the Olden Days




We are having a two week vacation at the Manse, now converted to the  Lake House, a vacation cabin where we are keeping cool the old fashioned way.

 Paper fans are a welcome quiet method of cooling you personally. In the olden days people would try to sit between women who used fans, to get the maximum coolness. This one is made from some of the endless supply of construction paper, two of them together. We are going all out with the different style fans, from the instructions in an old book.

One of the grandchildren has made these cute "tags" on laurel leaves, with wild chamomile, buttercups and other wildflowers. They are such a delightfully creative addition to the table settings. He picks huge leaves to use for fans.

One of the girls is reading an old copy of Beautiful Girlhood and practicing penmanship from an old penmanship instruction book.


We venture outside in shady areas, and add
cold fizz to fresh fruit drinks.



The stock tank, which we use as a swimming pool  is the lake, and the floaties are giant lily pads.  We wait until the pool is completely shaded before we jump in.

Inside during the highest temperatures we read old books left in the cabin. That is the way it is in lake cabins, isn't it?  Old magazines, maps, books become interesting again.

I hope you are all finding old fashioned ways to keep cool.

We ran water underneath the garden bridge so the younger children could pretend it was a bridge over a creek.


This is a DIY and self serve vacation. They have to get their own cots out and make their own beds, and fold it all up the next day. We do have bedrooms but need 4 more rooms to accommodate everyone.  A few of them actually like sleeping here with the door open and the screen door allowing more cool night  breezes in.  We allow residents to forage around the kitchen for their own food needs, and a huge salad is kept in the fridge for everyone. Other than that, everyone is on their own for occupation and recreation, and so far, have made very good use of the time.
Before the guests had time to fold up all the cots and bedding, someone dropped by. When we all excused the mess, she said she liked the way the blankets and sheets all matched the decor.

Other than these things, we try to be quiet, move slowly, sit, and not converse about stressful things. It eliminates added degrees of heat, we think.

When I invited Texas and Florida to colonize Oregon with their families, ranching and businesses, churches and culture, I didn’t expect to first get 115 F. Temperature. Maybe the heat is supposed to put us in the frame of mind to be part of those two great states.


 

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Good News Minutes Ep. 1 (15 Minutes)



 A short report for today but it may be just what someone needs to get the inspiration for the responsibilities at home. My family and friends are giving one another one good news report every time we communicate. I hope you like this one.  Since we began, everyone involved has said
they have so much good news to report they don't have time to report it all. Listen to see what kinds of things are good news.


I used two books as examples for creating your own course at home to include on your daily list:

This one was from a book subscription by mail, years ago and it contains many different aspects of the household; more than cooking and cleaning.  Its pages bring color, creativity and comfort to the dwelling place and would be great to use for a class of your own, if you used it with your own made up workbook, diary or art journal. Look around your house and find many publications you can use for a personal class or "course".  Give yourself a certificate upon completion.
If you do not want any more hands-on creative activities, try going through a high school history book from one of the homeschool companies.  This is one that we used for homeschool. 


Here is the poem I tried to recite:

Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.
So the little moments,
Humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages
Of Eternity.
So the little errors
Lead the soul away
From the paths of virtue
Far in sin to stray.
Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Help to make earth happy,
Like the Heaven above.”


― Julia A.F. Carney 1945

Keep your minutes good and guard them as though they were precious gems, for they make the hours of the day.


Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Enabled at Home



Hello Dear Ladies at Home (or want to be)
Today I describe what being at home enables us to do, have, or be.

Please enjoy doing some things at home while you listen:


The Home Enables: -- Resting after some tasks. You don't have to be on your feet all day.
--Limits outside demands on your life.
--Good for your mind and body; guiding, guarding and care for it provides purpose.
--Gives insight into the challenges of the homemakers of bygone days.
--Leisure to rebuild your strength, but don't turn leisure into work.












Friday, June 11, 2021

New Title Picture

 


Above is the title picture from the last couple of years. I like the new change, and it is only slightly different but very soft and fresh in color.

This is what it looks like now:
The description is a little different, too.

Here are some more Catherine Klein paintings. 

(I'm not entirely sure about this one, but it was in a Catherine Klein collection on a page. It doesn't have her signature like the others but seems to be her style.)











She painted other types of flowers, as well as fresh fruit, baskets, and more.

Dover printable clip art has these appealing roses in a florist box. Do florists still do this? I like those long boxes, and have seen them  before.





I hope you are all feeling rested, and enjoying life today.
Thank you for your lovely comments.


Lydia






















Wednesday, June 09, 2021

Luxury Living



Please enjoy your time at home today while you listen to homemakers radio. I hope you achieve a lot.


This a a book I showed:

You can use Victoria, Tea Time and other Hoffman Media publications as your homemaking "tools."


Think about the 6 things you think are most important for your peace and contentment in life. Here is a suggestion:
Character Development 
Homemaking
Hospitality
Tea Time
Letter Writing
Feminine Dress
Art, Literature, Music

Character scriptures I mentioned
Phlippians 4:8
Galations 5:22
2 Peter 1:5-8

Luxury living doesn't mean you need a lifestyle of the rich an famous. Several luxury items I pointed out today in the video were:
The luxury of time: When things are orderly, less time is spent rushing around, catching up, etc. and more time for rest.
The luxury of Comfort:  It doesn't take a high end holiday to have comfort every day in your life: clean bedding and bath towels, shiny floors and clean porches, etc. I've known people who lived in places that looked like ruins, but their domains were luxurious in all these small ways.
Luxury Cuisine:  If you grown your own or shop the fresh market and prepare it yourself, it tastes like luxury. There are so many free cooking classes and shows online, or for a small donation, that there is no reason not to know something about preparing fresh meals.
The Luxury of activities and pasttimes. I promised to leave a link to this girl's art journal lessons, someone I personally am acquainted with.
The luxury of hand crafted items that serve you well at home, and items you have made yourself. Before things were taken up by factories, we made our own potholders, dishtowels,  paintings, candles soap, and more.  I'm not suggesting hours of hard labor, but just trying one thing one time, for the experience.
The luxury of personal care:  We are so accustomed to out-sourcing everything from education to hair care, that it can be a real luxury to learn how to DIY.
The luxury of rest:  Rest is a great healer and restorer, and there are plenty of people teaching the merits of this, one being Dr. Berg





Sunday, June 06, 2021

We Do Many Things in the Home




Please enjoy your home during this Homemaking Radio broadcast. Possibly you can get one or two jobs finished during the video.



Things I talked about on the broadcast:
Someone picked parsley, sage, thyme and mint from their garden and brought it to me. I think this is such a good thing for a gift. Roses also are great from the garden, and have a beautiful scent. You can keep the fallen petals and put them in a dish for more scent.  I once received a package from someone which, rather than being packed with styrofoam pieces or plastic padding, was poured over into the spaces with dried rose buds!!!
My little ones enjoyed using old fashioned construction paper and chalk as an old fashioned chalk board project.  A tissue was used as an eraser. 


Newsletter from Amy, On the Journey

Books used in home education that are "Christ centered":
Learn about sentence structure, spelling and writing, with sentences containing good values and lofty, character-building thoughts.

I also mentioned the play, "When Queens Ride By" and found a place where you could print your own copy: HERE


What I wore:


All cotton dress. Cost of materials
aproximately $25
Close up of the print--birds and feathers. Material was
also available in aqua, yellow and peach.

Thank you for listening today. Hopefully I will "see" you here more often as I try to post in a timely manner!