Tuesday, March 05, 2024

Focus at Home


Greetings at Last!

It has been cold here and a bit of a challenge to stay warm indoors but we are enduring it as best we can.

I am so happy you came to view and to listen while you continue with your responsibilities at home.


I spoke today of making the home a good and pleasant place to dwell, so that we don't have to go "somewhere else" for relief.






Don't forget to go to my Pinterest page and view the things I love. Here are some of the pictures I've saved there:

I have great plans to create a house like the one pictured above...


...with light nooks and crannies like this.



A local produce store yielded this huge strawberry.  (These were grown like this with volcanic ash where I grew up.) It was so big it did not fit in the teacup pictured there.


Here it is in the box with regular size berries:



Dollar store had such pretty cotton fabric during the Valentine season, and I've
collected some and planning how to use it.  

During the snowed-in days I have also been looking at the fabric online.

A yard of the above would be nice on any table or stitched into a kitchen accessory such as a tea cozy, towel, or curtain.

This is from Shabby Fabrics and is a nice small print for a cottage-core style dress.

I discussed some things from these publications.

Anti-Anxiety Exercise: the instructor suggests you can do these while in chair or before getting out of bed, which makes it so easy.

Reminder: Your preparation includes appearance, prayer, list, exercise and listening to something cheerful. We have been shamed out of dressing nicely for the home, but we can bring back the old paths, where the good life is.

Thank you for coming today, and congratulations for getting a few things accomplished in your home while you played this broadcast in the background:



For the Wives and Daughters Reading Program:
Activity #2

Refer to the end of the previous post for activity #1.

Read the first and second paragraph of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell and draw what you think Molly's room looked like according to the author's descriptions. You can watercolor or crayon color it. If you are not familiar with art, you might just try drawing a square for the wall and add the objects on to the wall. If you have anyone in the family that would like to do this for you, that's good too. It is your notebook and you can do what you like.
 
Watch the first BBC episode again. The video series did not show Molly's room but as you watch the series you may get some knowledge of the colors and furnishings used during the era of the story. 

Example: 
(posting later)

9 comments:

  1. Dear Lydia Ruth,

    Oh! How I enjoyed today’s broadcast! I have been doing the stretches from the link you provided and also following along with Wives and Daughters.😊I especially liked the discussion about enhancing our dining experience with the family. It was always a priority in our home for us to eat together at the dining room table every night. Our grown children remembered it as something to look forward to each day. It was also the time when our children enjoyed  conversing with us the most. Many evenings were spent delighting in one another’s company. One of my daughters married a man where meals were quickly prepared and then eaten  in front of the T.V. or computer. When he joined our family, he didn’t like lingering around the dining room table just talking; however, he is slowly coming around to see the value in it. I wanted to mention that
    I had gotten away from making my “to do“ lists, but you convinced me again to adopt the usefulness of this good habit. Since I realized I was becoming more scatter brained in my housework, your advice about making a list was something I truly needed to begin again. Thank you so much, Lydia, for your wonderful encouragement! I cleaned the guest bedrooms while I listened in today.
    Blessings,
    ❤️Holly

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  2. Thank you, Holly. That list can be a way to get the mind back on what needs to be done.

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  3. Hi Lady Lydia,

    I was charmed (and inspired) by your statement that your descendants
    prefer staying in your home, rather than a b & B. And it was just so
    cute that you mentioned the feature of your home of having electric tea
    kettles in every room. I just smiled so much. It was so sweet and and I
    could see how true that would be! the ability to make tea with a little
    independence in the room!! and you know sometimes in a hotel or other
    rental you sometimes are very frustrated about that - all you want is
    your tea (or coffee) and now you can't do it by yourself! you might have
    to go to the lobby and ask for hot water and all this and that.

    God bless you!!

    Carolyn

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  4. It gets tiresome waiting in line for your turn at the coffee/tea station. Sometimes they are ready to emerge from the bedroom and enjoy a handful of quiet before the house wakes up.

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  5. I love your beautiful pictures!such a pretty bedroom and great ideas. Love that farmhouse, too. Thank you for telling us more about Wives and Daughters. I just found our DVD of it. Now, when will I find time to watch it? 🐥

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  6. Hello ladies! I have been busy painting and "remodeling" my old 50's kitchen. It needs to be totally gutted and redone, yet I heard Miss Lydia's voice in my head, "room for improvement". New paint, curtains, organizing and wallpaper for back splash, it is greatly improved and has given me great joy. Thank you for keeping me company and God Bless.
    Michell

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  7. Listening to you, your voice and words, are like coming home to a friend. I listen more than I comment. Thank you for being a reasonable voice in a world of confusion.

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    Replies
    1. I so understand this comment, Christine ... and feel the same way!

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  8. Ladies thank you for your encouragement.

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