Dress Up At Home

Greetings to you lovely homemakers.  I hope the last two weeks have been productive in your home.

We are having fog, and so I thought we should be as thrilled with a foggy day as we are with a sunny one. My mind is plotting out a special fog fiesta or some kind of fog celebration. A few years ago I had fog fashions and fog tea. You can find those by typing them in the search area at the top  left of this blog.

This gentle horse came quietly by my path to greet me as I was taking my Austen walk today.  So sweet!

I thought you might like to see what you got for me last week:  I ordered some comfortable velvet-like cushions for the tea table in the living room, You also might enjoy seeing the colors of the evening view coordinate so beautifully with my aqua/turquoise chair pads and table cloth.

And now for the cream, as Emma would say. Today I talked about:

Dressing for small, simple acts at home such as checking your mail both outside and on your device, answering a card or letter, prayer time, a Jane Austen walk indoors or outdoors, doing the laundry (yes, other people will see you), or cleaning the kitchen. I even feel I am a better listener if I am fully dressed and all fixed up when talking on the phone. It gives me a clearer head for making a list.

I also cautioned everyone about allowing people to "make merchandise" of you when they discover your many talents and skills.

Then, I spoke of the way the outside working world is more confining than the home, that you never can make any progress there, and that the home can accommodate your needs and nurture your talents because there, you are free.

Also, we need to recognize the fruits of uncertainty, little faith, panic and fear may be in hostile reactions to we who are happy at home. Frightened friends believe what they are hearing from the non-believers. I read from First John, chapter four, the following:

 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

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Ladies, the above verses may certainly turn out to be one of the greatest sources of relief, confidence, and personal happiness in this present day of political turmoil.

Exercise your faith beyond your basic belief in Christ, by putting it into practice. Take care of yourself, and pay attention to your responsibility of guarding, guiding and keeping the home.  Your family and your dwelling need you, and no one else will do.

Also I read from Bryan Koslowski's Jane Austen Diet about the Regency custom of eating their desseret (apple tart) immediately after a meal, rather than waiting until they "were not so full." It kept them from eating too much dessert.

Please enjoy your work at home while you listen to the broadcast today. If the weather is not suitable for being outdoors, try walking inside your house for a body warm-up. Sometimes I get up at an unearthly hour and do not want to disturb anyone in the house, so I go to the farthest room, close the door and walk in a small area, in different directions. You can do this in any small space, even your bathroom, and it is immensely helpful in the mind/body connection.