How to Be Happy--For Young and Old Alike

 Hello Dear Ones,

This is a newsletter I wrote a few years ago, and I probably have posted it here before, but I thought you might enjoy seeing it again. Feel free to print it and use it to promote well-being in yourself and others. You know of course these days, people re-run hurts and woes and resentments ad-nauseam, and never rise above anything, which stymies their life, and erases good influence. We can wallow in our woes and it won't get the kitchen clean or the windows sparkling, or the soothing aroma of bread in the oven.  As the saying goes, it is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.  Maybe you could illustrate this by turning off the lights and lighting a birthday candle to show how it dispels quite a bit of darkness. You can be that candle in times of darkness.

Picking Flowers 1898 by Alfred Glendenning

How to be Happy -- For Young and Old Alike

by Miss Lily-of-the-Valley

If you could know with what delight I find that you, Dear Readers, are seeking worthwhile interests and activities; the kind that develop your character for life. In fact, if you practice some of the things I am suggesting here, you will find that no matter how old you become, you will not lose interest in them. Such things as leisurely walks, reading, teatime, art, music and letter writing, crafts and sewing, feminine dress, gardening and more--- will all pay off in your later years.

By the River, Alfred Glendenning 1898

These activities in the list below begin in youth and help you in later years. Note: you do not have to feel you missed out on anything if perchance you have reached a certain age and not been able to do any of these things. Begin at any age! I have left some spaces for you to fill in yourself with anything you would like to add to this list.

Homemaking

Hospitality

Tea Time

Feminine Dress

Crafts and Sewing

Art, Music, Reading, Writing

Correspondence

Manners

Outdoors

Hope Chest

Care Giving

Conversation

Fresh Air and Healthful Habits

The Red Parasol by Alfred Glendenning, 1898

Now, let us see the possibilities of developing talents and absorbing interests in each of these things, many of which can be found within the pages of the Bible.

Homemaking: There is more to this than cleaning house. It means making the home an appealing place, preparing food in a nutritious and attractive way, learning something about how to manage a day of homemaking and house keeping by yourself, child care, cleanliness and most of all, being as pleasant and kind as you can. Make a list and check off each item as you accomplish it.

Painting by Alexander Averin

Homemaking is easily learned in youth by enjoying the art of playing house. When you enjoy keeping your house as if it were your own playhouse, it brings joy and lightheartedness to what most people dread as dreary tasks.

On your daily list of things to do, be sure to include some aspect of homemaking every day.

Hospitality: This can be a subject in which you can really excel and blossom, for it involves making guests comfortable and happy, and you can practice on your own family. It means setting an attractive table using your best things. It means making sure a guest has an honored place to sit, and that you have a few things planned for them.

Hospitality is best accomplished by preparing food from a planned menu, either your own or from a book or magazine. I highly recommend using Tea Time magazine as a good seasonal menu and recipe plan to help you become a happy hostess.

Hospitality need not be expensive or burdensome. Many people would appreciate a simple box, bag or basket filled with their favorite things.

On your daily list, be sure to extend hospitality to someone in your home each day by helping those who are weary, sad, lonely and need to be “picked up.”

Tea Time: Being young includes enjoying a fancy tea cup with a fragrant scent of hot tea. Children love Bengal Spice, Mothers love their Lemon or Mint tea, and young girls seem to prefer the Strawberry Tea. Your grandmother might like her favorite, Yorkshire Gold. Learn how to make tea properly so that it will turn out well. Observe a 2 o'clock or 3 o'clock tea time ritual just to establish a routine, and it will set you up for life. You will be collecting beautiful tea cups and learning about tea foods. As stated in the hospitality subject, use Tea Time magazine for a guide. The tea time habit can be taken anywhere—from a car trip to a walk down a country road. It is the thing people are using to slow down these days.

Feminine Dress: When you are young, dressing in clothing that is innocent and light-hearted means happy colors and prints that imitate nature. It does not mean showing a lot of skin. The purpose of girlish dress is to provide a pretty covering for yourself. Girls throughout history have enjoyed tracing around paper dolls and cutting out their own dress designs to practice dress designing. Visiting fabric stores for pretty prints that seem to have the right “mood” for a dress design, can bring out your creativity.

Looking through Pinterest for “cottage core” dresses will give you a lot of good ideas for dressing young. Dressing up every day in youthful, pretty clothes, makes a big difference in the way you feel about experiencing all the things on this list. Learning just a little bit about crafts and sewing can be a great help in creating youthful, feminine dress.

Crafts and Sewing: Getting a craft kit or a sewing kit is a good way to begin your creative time with crafts and sewing. You will be glad you did when the days get busy, because the small projects will be very relaxing. It will be nice to include a little craft (making cards, art journals, paper things) or sewing (making some small hand-sewn item) or learn to knit, crochet and other needlework. Just do one small thing so that you can say you at least tried it.

Art, Music, Reading and Writing:

Whether you learn on your own or take a class, art is a very fulfilling and ennobling activity. Be sure to include this in your week. If all you do is get an interesting-to-you coloring book and some fancy crayons, you will be bringing out the art-side of you and it will give you a pasttime in all stages of your life.

Music and singing have always been the things that softened tiredness or stress and crowned the most perfect days with added loveliness.

Experience reading a book outside on a nice day. Write a story for someone and illustrate it with you own art work. On a side note, be sure to choose appropriate reading material that builds the soul, and not things that are worthless. If you can't find good books to read, try writing your own stories.

The Recital, by Sandra Kuck

You might be glad if you keep a journal for a little while, to remember how you spend your days and the things you learn. Writing your own magazine or newsletter is very rewarding because you are putting your own ideas and thoughts on paper and sharing it with those you love.

Correspondence, otherwise known as Letter Writing is one of the sweetest activities that forms lifetime friendships. It also helps you understand how to write clearly and be understood, how to be tactful, how to be kind, and how to enjoy the art of communication. 

Consider making a newsletter.

If you have no one to write to, trying writing to your Grandmother, Mother, siblings, and even Dear Dad. They love getting letters put on their desk or table in the home, and will likely take time to write back. Remember to always practice the principle of building one another up and bring the best out in others through correspondence. The next of the list is Manners, where you will learn what things are the most tactful to say, whether in letter writing or in conversation.

Manners: While a good manners book is always nice, you can figure out what is mannerly (which the Bible calls courtesy) by observing what goes on in the home. Learn to be sympathetic and learn to find ways to help others. Be careful of other people's possessions and space, and always say please and thank you. Tact is the practice of not saying things that would hurt someone's feelings or create an angry reaction. For example, do not speak in a negative way about things that other people value. When you consider manners, you will find out that while you may let others go first and make sure others are made comfortable first, most manners come from the words of your mouth and your knowledge of tact.

Outdoors: This includes things like:

Make your own flower-picking garden where you can go on a leisurely morning walk and hear the birds sing. This is essential in the art of being young, which help you in life's disappointing times. While outdoors, create your own florist shop and take orders from your family for special get-well bouquets or happy day offerings from your garden. No garden? Use some plant pots and tend them on your porch or indoors by a window.

Hope Chest: I suppose this could also be called a Home Chest because it is a trunk of things you collect for your future home. There are books you can get on how to fill a hope chest.

Go here for HOPE CHEST ideas

If you missed out on the hope chest tradition, it isn't too late to have one. Just fill something with things you like, and there you have it. Never ever say that life has passed you by or that you "missed out" on anything, because these days there are endless possibilities.

These are some things that help girls be young. Life feels good when you are learning to be happy and young. Doing these things will help you later on when you have more serious responsibilities. There is so much to do, one cannot spare the time to be bored. We all need food, good clothing designers and hairdressers, good story writers and friendship letters, cards and home made gifts, good conversation, music and art. There is no telling what this will bring into you life and the many happy hours you can spend being young.

In observing all of these things you will have a balanced mind, a multi-interest life, and a calm reassurance even in times of emotional uproar around you. 

To put this simply:

Prepare yourself (appearance, prayer, make a list)

Do whatever needs to be done, then do something you want to do.

Keep a notebook with a continual list of ideas and duties.

Rest, have tea time, read, practice daily happiness.

Sincerely,

Miss Lily-of-the-Valley

As Usual at the Manse

Hello Everyone,

We are keeping up with things as much as possible.

We celebrated our daughter’s birthday. Sadly I was never good at party decor and the event was not fancy. I opted to invest in the gift instead of balloons and wrapping paper. We filled this small set of drawers with fabric, patterns, shoes, and a teacup. That is,  I put bubble wrap in one of the baskets and told her to pick out a cup from the china cabinet. She can fit the little cabinet in a small place in her house.

After feeling some remorse at the lack of festive birthday decor, I decided she should have some balloons but it was too late to go to the dollar store so I grabbed what I could:

King Arthur hard red wheat flour—never bleached and never bromated. The bags were empty and my mother showed us how to use all grocery packaging for other things—even wrapping paper. This homemade balloon was more meaningful because our daughter has been cooking for a long, long time.

I had planned to show how to make this decorative pillow in 3 minutes but didn’t get pictures so I will tell you here. Roll up a towel or fold a small blanket in the shape you want. Place it on a piece of fabric, or something like a shirt or table runner — even a scarf or shawl in the colors you like. Wrap the cloth item around the rolled up towel and tuck in the edges of the cloth. 

Sometimes I do this for a bright spot on a place where it will not be used, and is only decorative. That way, it can be taken apart and used again. If you have no space for extra things, this can impress yourself. You think you have a collection of fancy cushions.

Our granddaughter, Miss Lillian, the one who sews without patterns, helped with her mothers birthday by making a cheesecake using cream cheese, heavy whipping cream and fruit.

As I wrote in my previous entry, the younger ones ask permission for everything. So far, no one has asked if it is okay for them to breathe. I was amused when one of her little brothers asked my permission to “imagine”.  I could not figure out why he would need a permit for it but I quickly understood. It involved running, jumping and explosive sound effects from his mouth that sounded like huge vehicles in an industrial zone. We live in the country. People move to the country to get away from noise.There has to be a limit. 

I wish I had more interesting intelligence for you today. My mind is focused on getting the kitchen in order and updating the food supply. 

I will let you in on some of our conversations when I get time. When we are all together we talk about everything—ideas, food, music, spiritual values and “things of great doctrinal importance “ as Mary said in Pride and Prejudice. We have recently been discussing how to preserve our mental and physical energy and spend it on important things. To “discern” is a great advantage. 

You will be happy to know that someone who collects stray farm animals has generously taken the rooster that wandered into our yard. He is better off now.

I think it is important to have a five minute routine of things to do that will set up a balanced mind and body for the day. When there are any interruptions or problems, those little fortifications (a few stretches,, prayer, making lists, bathing and dressing up) can create a shield for unexpected news or any unpleasantness. That routine might help make the day successful.

 

Health, Poem, Living Your Beliefs

Hello and Welcome to Homemaking Radio. 

In this episode. I shared how to make an easy spencer jacket simply by folding part of a jacket or cardigan under.

Leaving the back of the jacket as is, gives the garment a Regency shape:

A dress is one-piece and makes a more authentic look.

Turn the collar up and there you have an Austen-ish costume that can be comfortably worn at home.

Here is the dress with the teacup I shared:

The car wall-hanging seen at the top was made by Marina watercolorist teacher at Artworthy Life.

I thought about you while strolling about today

In this episode I read the poem:

The Bravest battle that ever was fought

by Joaquin Miller

• The bravest battle that ever was fought!
  Shall I tell you where and when?
  On the maps of the world you will find it not;
  'Twas fought by the mothers of men.

  Nay not with the cannon of battle-shot,
  With a sword or noble pen;
  Nay, not with eloquent words or thought
  From mouth of wonderful men!

  But deep in a walled-up woman's heart -
  Of a woman that would not yield,
  But bravely, silently bore her part -
  Lo, there is the battlefield!

  No marshalling troops, no bivouac* song,
  No banner to gleam and wave;
  But oh! those battles, they last so long -
  From babyhood to the grave.

  Yet, faithful still as a bridge of stars,
  She fights in her walled-up town -
  Fights on and on in her endless wars,
  Then silent, unseen, goes down.

  Oh, ye with banners and battle-shot,
  And soldiers to shout and praise!
  I tell you the kingliest victories fought
  Were fought in those silent ways.

  O spotless woman in a world of shame,
  With splendid and silent scorn,
  Go back to God as white as you came -
  The Kingliest warrior born!

• *bivouac - a soldier's tent or a place to camp without a tent

I also talked about living your beliefs by diligently attending to making the home a safe, comfortable and beautiful place. Spiritual values like goodness, thoughtfulness and good judgement can be applied in so doing.

To emphasize this, I read James 4:14-26 ---Show your faith by the things you do.  This is easy to do when you are out on a church mission, but much more needed in the home.

Please enjoy your work while you listen to the broadcast.

                 

Every Day is Mother's Day

Henry Salem Hubbell (American artist, 1870-1949) Tea Time.

As we mature, we try to keep in mind the attitude of being kind and respectful, and so Mother's Day ought not to be relegated to bringing flowers and out to eat once a year. Mothers need their children in life daily throughout the year, not just a plant or a bouquet on Mother's Day.

Many of us are without out our mother's on this day, but we appreciated their love and their beauty, and their efforts toward us while we were with them, perhaps even more-so now, as we remember so many things they did for us and with us.

Gray Sky Style

This is our gray sky season, and I've created a special style just for that.  

I have a friend that sends me pictures of royalty in Europe out in the cold gray climates at various events, and if you are into that, you will notice the ladies are always dressed very well even in inclement weather. They might not wear that sort of thing at home, but what I have created here is gray sky fashion to wear at home. 

Why a gray sky fashion? Because I need something to wear with.

A few years ago someone got me this hat at an estate sale. How do you like the way that old gray teapot looks beside it? The hat looks like pearl-gray satin.

 I have never worn gray, but I am liking it a lot more and have put some gray cushions on my furniture. 

To go with that marvelous gray hat, which I like so much, here is an Emma and Mila cotton dress fabric from Walmart, which will be my next home dress.

Although I will be enjoying this as an at-home dress, I am showing the hat with it to share how it goes with, and how I can make the dress more formal. A gray jacket would work for going out.

This is an unusual color combination for me to wear, and never has been my favorite, but I'm trying new things and excited to see how this dress will look.

Today I would also like to share the new covers I made for Grandma's chair and the old couch.

This is called Minky; it is a fleece that looks like chenille, and the color is mint. It looks great with the gray cushions, 

 as you see below in the background.

I had to buy a whole bolt of this fabric (from you know where) and it only covered the couch and one chair, so now I'm on the hunt to get another bolt. Everyone that came to the Ladies Bible Class yesterday said they enjoyed it so much because it was so fresh, light and soft.

I will tell you something else about it: it is a no-sew furniture cover.  It doesn't ravel so you don't need to stitch the edges. It is washable.  It doesn't cling to your clothes and you can get out of the chair easily.  The fabric adheres well to the furniture and does not get messed up.  It does not get worn thin in certain areas.

This is one of the remaining home dresses from my "line of clothing" I did a few years ago where I hung them all on the laundry line outside.  It has gray in the print. I wore it today but was unable to get a picture (and I don't do selfies), as my photographer had appointments elsewhere.

There is a big pile of notes sitting by my computer, waiting for a chance to be spoken in a video about clothing. I'm sure I will go on to other subjects eventually, but I have not run out of things to say about home dressing. 

I wonder how many of us have ever realized the control of the fashion industry on our clothing choices.  It was when I discovered the style I liked best, that I went off on my own.

 I tell people its part of my home constitution, because it guarantees the right to dress pretty and inspiringly at home.

 We don't have to follow the prevailing culture, but we don't have to look dowdy, either, especially as we get older. Our children and grandchildren won't be inspired to admire color, style and beauty by seeing Mom and Grandma in jeans, leggings, shorts and dull worn out clothing all the time.

I met a lady many decades ago when I was about 18, and I was talking to her about sewing my own clothes. She was only in her 50's and she said, "I have clothes not yet worn out, so I'm not going to get any new ones for the rest of my life."

I felt sorry for her that she was not looking forward to new clothes.

So ladies if you are worried about these cotton dresses you make getting dirty or wearing out from house work and gardening, please don't. You will not want to be stuck with them for the rest of your life, anyway.  Ladies have always liked changes of clothing.  

I think back in the 1960's when that polyester fibre was invented, the clothing was indestructible, and not biodegradable, and women were not able to wear it out like we can wear out cottons and wovens and natural fabrics. So, they felt they couldn't buy anything new.  

I don't want to be like that, because each day and each season is so exciting and new. The trees change their leaves, so why can't we change our clothes.  

So many children grow up seeing their mothers and grandmothers in jeans and t-shirts, and big clunky brand name sports shoes. Why not let your little ones enjoy the colors and prints in fabrics of your skirts?

I recently enjoyed watching Princess Cut, a Christian movie about a young woman at home on a farm with her family who was admiring an engagement ring  that had  a stone cut in a special way called "princess cut". You can see this on Youtube or rent it on Amazon.

The movie had a beautiful message and I was heartened by the love in the family, the scenery, the house, and just about everything about it.  

I wish that the costume people would have let the ladies wear long skirts in more of the scenes, which would have been prettier, and more feminine,  and I think they could have managed it by using western style skirts. It was about a farming community, so of course I know they couldn't dress up, but a skirt would have worked really well in some of the beautiful scenery there.  

However I enormously enjoyed the story, and the men's clothing was great. There were so many plaid shirts and I love looking at plaid, although it doesn't look so great on yours truly. 

 I also liked the little brother in the movie; he was so cute.  The big brother was nice too.

 It looked like it was filmed in a historic farm house, or a bed and breakfast resort. I enjoyed the way it was furnished and decorated, as well as the kitchen scenes and the pies!

It has been a long time since I've watched a movie with so many home scenes and family members as the center of the story. I liked that one of the young men spoke favorably of his parents. There is not enough of that these days.

I live near farmland, and the ladies Bible class consists of farm ladies, so I loved watching this movie situated on farmland.

That's my lecture for the day. I am hopeful to get a few more things sewn to show you here.

Thanks for your visit.

Thanks for your sweet donations.

Thanks for your love.
Thanks for your prayers.
Thank you for your comments!!!

Lydia

Added:  Someone in comments suggested using this fabric in a jacket. I recently discovered a sale at HL for these New Look patterns, and thought it would go great with this fabric. There is a jacket in it featuring a printed fabric like this.  While the price on the pattern says $6.59,  it was reduced to $3.00.

         

                               

The pattern is another one which doesn't have wovens and cottons on the recommended list, but it does say linens, and this fabric is similar.

Books by Mrs.White from The Legacy of Home Blog

Hello Everyone,

Today I would like to introduce the books written by a veteran blogger who has been on  my blogroll for a longtime, from The Legacy of Home. 

She has certainly done a diligent job of getting information about the home in print; something that may inspire the rest of to do!

 Here are direct links to where her books are sold:

1. " Introduction to Home Economics: Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking."

https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Home-Economics-Instruction-Homemaking/dp/0692189173/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483317&sr=1-2

2. " Living on His Income: Remembrances and Advice for the Christian Housewife."

https://www.amazon.com/Living-His-Income-Remembrances-Christian/dp/0692221077/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-3

3. " Mother's Book of Home Economics: Remembrances, Letters, and Essays from a New England Housewife."

https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Book-Home-Economics-Remembrances/dp/0615889069/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-4

4.  " At Mother's House:  The Blessing of Being a Christian Housewife."

https://www.amazon.com/At-Mothers-House-Christian-Housewife/dp/0692806407/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-5

5. " For the Love of Christian Homemaking: Pleasant Visits from my Parlour."

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Christian-Homemaking-Pleasant-Parlour/dp/0615744427/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-6

6. "Economy for the Christian Home: A 12- Week Challenge for Wives to Increase Charitable Giving."

https://www.amazon.com/Economy-Christian-Home-Challenge-Charitable/dp/069236112X/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-7

7. " Old Fashioned Motherhood: Baby and Child Care Advice from a New England Housewife."

https://www.amazon.com/Old-Fashioned-Motherhood-England-Housewife/dp/0692274731/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-9

8. " Mother's Hour: Encouragement from Home for the Christian Housewife."

https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Hour-Encouragement-Christian-Housewife/dp/0692579974/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-10

9. " Mother's Faith: Essays, Lamentations, and Encouragement from a Christian Mother of Waywards."

https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Faith-Lamentations-Encouragement-Christian/dp/0615792219/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-12

10. " Early Morning Revival Challenge: 90 day Bible Study (with journaling, prayer, reading Psalms and Proverbs, and Quotes

from Ministers."

https://www.amazon.com/Early-Morning-Revival-Challenge-Journaling/dp/0615861059/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545483410&sr=1-11

God bless you! I hope your husband is feeling better. I enjoyed seeing the hospital pictures and prayed with you all during the updates of his stay.  I did not comment because I was reading from my (kindle) tablet and cannot do comments on there. But I frequently read your blog on my tablet. Thank you for all you are doing! You are helping and inspiring so many!

love Mrs. White

The Legacy of Home

http://thelegacyofhome.blogspot.com