The Lily Pond

The Lily Pond

by W. Ashburner, 1882-1932

Painting Description: Wearing a long blue gown, and holding up one side of the hem, a woman stands the lowest step in front of a lily pond. Her dress is adorned with a white shawl-collar, edged  in a wide ruffle on the shoulders. The collar is tied in the front at the waist. The curved stone stair step leads behind her through a gate opening, and the entire background of the painting consists of foliage with dark pink flowers. The water shows a slight blue reflection of the gown, as the woman casts her glance downward to see the lilies.

Here are a couple of ways to create home made cards and letter-writing materials:

To make these you will need some pages from a daily removeable page picture calendar, some heavy paper or card weight paper, scissors and glue.  Match up the pictures to the card and glue in place.

Since the inside is blank, write on it as though you were writing a letter, and use the back, too. Or, just stamp your greeting, if you have one, that fits the occasion.

Using decorated stationery might develop your interest in writing letters.

Decorate blank paper to make special writing paper by rubber stamping various areas around the paper, and then placing a ruler on the straight edge of the paper. Draw lines with co-ordinating crayon or special pens just to join the images, like this:

It nicely frames your letter with a lovely border.

Serendipity Saturday

A Moment In Time

View this Susan Rios Painting Here

I was given a chance to look at two interesting publications today. On the left, the Jean d'Arc Magazine,

which yielded these two lovely ideas. Above, a shaded patio table created with swaths of lace over a metal structure, and below,

making bouquets using columbines, a spire-like flower that apparently comes in several colors. Sometimes these common flowers that are so easy to grow begin appearing in expensive, store-bought bouquets, along with things like Queen Anne's Lace, forget-me-nots and daisies.

The magazine on the left, "The English Home" featured an interesting recipe for a tea bread, above, and some beautiful scenes, below. That was not all: - each magazine had far more splendid pictures and reading than these, and the ads, all relegated to the back pages, were in keeping with the theme of the magazines. Each ad was a pretty as the pictures in the publications themselves.

The English Home magazine features a regular ettiquette lady named Mrs. Minerva,  who has a tongue-in-cheek style that makes you smile.  This issue featured a personal home tour, an article about taking afternoon tea, a study of damask fabrics, and country homes. I'll have to start getting my own copy.

Wal-Mart had a new batch of cotton prints so I got a small piece of several patterns. The daisy print also comes with a pale background,

And this is a close-up of the pink swirly print that has a sheen on it.

It is always nice to have a bit of leisure time and enjoy the things that delight the heart. A friend of mine wrote to me recently and suggested that women at home take non-spending pleasure trips by viewing what is new in the shops and savoring new ideas. It is important to take time out to rest and enjoy just being alive.

I am reading a book called "An Enduring Love," about the modern Queen of Persia. A chapter from the book can be read here, and it was also made into a Miramax movie. This is a story of a family without a country, and shows the dignity in which Farrah handled all the things that happened to them from the time they fled their homeland to the death of her husband and youngest daughter. She wanted to be seen as an over-comer and refused to succumb to self-pity.


I looked for an unaccompanied (ACapella) version of "God's Choir in the Sky" but could not find it. This version, however, is quite nice, (filmed in the small village of Urk in the Netherlands)  and the words are posted below it here.





I heard the angels sing "Glory Hallelujah!"


A mighty chorus way up high;

I heard the angels sing "Praise the name of Jesus!"

Singing in God's choir in the sky.



Chorus:

I heard a thousand trumpets sounding out His Glory,

telling the story how he came to earth to die;

I heard a million voices praise the name of Jesus,

Singing in God's choir in the sky.



I heard the glorious song coming out of Heaven,

The sweetest music ever heard;

I heard a mighty song sung by all the angels,

My soul thrilled at ev'ry loving word.



Chorus:



I fell down on my knees when that chorus ended,

They shouted out a glad Amen!

I fell down on my knees, prayed that when in heaven,

I would hear that choir once again.

(Chorus)

Talking Happiness

Painting by Alan R. Banks

American, 1948-present

click on painting for a more detailed view

Alan R. Banks was one of the artists whose work was included in the Russian art exhibit in Moscow.

Description of Painting: The subject is a woman wearing a long skirt patterned with gold and yellow flowers, a white blouse and  a white hat with a dark green band of ribbon around the crown. She is seated on a black, wrought iron bench in a garden, reading a book. Her expression is one of contentment and peace.  Behind the seat are delicate white climbing roses, and the sunlight makes a pattern on the path beyond to a lattice fence. The thick green grass looks like a soft carpet for her feet. Beyond her is a lattice fence and more roses.  What a wonderful place to find quietness, sweet scents, and happiness.

Every decade has its bad news. No matter where you live or when you were born, there is something tragic going on in the news. The great painters, though  living in perilous times themselves, still brought loveliness into the world through their work. 


If you are a homemaker, you have to consider yourself an ambassador of your own kind. A gloomy attitude towards life will discourage others from joining the wonderful world of homemaking.

Speaking in a positive way can make a day brighter for yourself and others. This poem expresses it well:

Note: When reading poetry, it is not necessary to pause at the end of a stanza or line. Read fluently, pausing only at the punctuation marks. You will find that it make better sense.  This is a great read-aloud poem.


Speech



Talk happiness. The world is sad enough


Without your woe. No path is wholly rough.


Look for the places that are smooth and clear,


And speak of them to rest the weary ear


Of earth; so hurt by one continuous strain


Of mortal discontent and grief and pain.






Talk faith. The world is better off without


Your uttered ignorance and morbid doubt.


If you have faith in God, or man, or self,


Say so; if not, push back upon the shelf


Of silence all your thoughts ‘till faith shall come.


No one will grieve because your lips are dumb.






Talk health. The dreary, never-ending tale


Of mortal maladies is worn and stale;


You cannot charm or interest or please


By harping on that minor chord disease.


Say you are well, or all is well with you,


And God shall hear your words and make them true.


by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, 1850-1919

The author in the Victorian era expressed the same problems in speech that we have today.  Complaining about life, reporting on every physical problem, and  lack of faith are things that each generation needs to overcome.

There is no denying that life on earth can get very upsetting,  but we are stuck here while we live, so we have to make the best of it.  Within your grasp there is probably a Bible, and in it contain the keys to happiness, whether the circumstances be dreary or bright.



Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.  Proverbs 3:13

Behold, we count them happy which endure...  James 4:11

But if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.  Ist Peter 3:14

There are of course, some people who will never be happy. They love misery and they want others to be miserable too. However, Christian women are not supposed to be speaking of  gloom and doom.  Since talk comes from whatever is in the mind, the solution is to think about things that are lovely:

According to Philippians 4:8, we are to "think on things" that are: true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue and praiseworthy. 

To train the mind to think on those things, try substituting a cheerful thought for a depressing one, or a good story for a scary story.  Think of careful living instead of careless living. Spend some time creating a cache of lovely ideas, places, things, happenings and dreams, to substitute when you find your mind drifting into depressing thoughts. If you have gotten into the habit of thinking on the dark side of life, it will take some time to break it, but by substituting the collection of happy thoughts, beliefs and ideas, it can be done.

Some people have learned the art of taking "mind-vacations" where they think of places they would like to go and things they would like to do when they need some relief from the stress of the world around them. Others use pleasant little rituals, like taking tea using their best setting, at least once a day, to remove themselves from the cares of life that could otherwise cause dark thoughts. 

 There are those who just know how to keep a song in their hearts, so that when stress is levelled at them, they concentrate on the words of the songs they have stored up in their minds.  

 In times of tedious tasks, people who sing will find the job almost done before they know it, and they did not have to suffer from unhappiness while doing it. When we were children, we had to pick berries in the wilds, and it just seemed to take ever so long to fill our buckets. We found that singing all the verses of all the songs we knew, helped to lighten the work.  This is one way to substitute something lovely for something that seems difficult and tedious. Forward this video to 3.52 on the dial, and hear the wife of Itzhak Perlman say "If everyone sang every day, the psychiatrists would be out of business."

One lady I know has a unique approach to life. With this method, she has accomplished many things and overcome many challenges.   With her permission, I will quote:

"When I have endured any suffering or reproach, I go home and draw plans for a new house. After I have sketched the house, I build it in my mind and draw it on paper. Then, I go through books and catalogs and find all the furniture I like and fill up my new house. I pretend that there is plenty of money for whatever I want. I build a beautiful house and fill it with all the kinds of things I've ever liked.  After that, I fill the closets with clothes for everyone in my family, and get myself a new wardrobe too. Then I write out invitations to people I like,, to come and have a banquet with me. At each place is a gift for each person, and they all enjoy a very special meal."

 She is thinking on things that are lovely, pure, noble and good. She has not changed the bleak ways of the world, but she has controlled how it will effect her.  The author of "Auntie Mame" wrote, "Life is a banquet, but most people are starving to death." This is a figure of speech that means there is a way to be happy but many people just do not see it.

The Bible is a source for refreshment and relief when the rest of the world is full of confusion. It is now more easily accessible than at any time in history. Most people have it right at their fingertips in the form of E-Sword on their computers.  If you want to know the secret to happiness, just type in the word "happy," and see what the source really is. It has nothing to do with riches, honor, or worldly success. It has a lot to do with training the mind. There is no reason to be starving for happiness when it is available in abundance. The only thing you have to do is put these things into practice.

In talking happiness,  it is essential to think on things that are good and happy. That is what Philippians 4:8 is all about. Many people are exceptionally familiar with this verse, but very few people remember the promise that comes in the very next sentence. It promises that if you do these things, the God of peace shall be with you. Think of things that are noble, lovely and good, and peace will follow.

Besides thinking happiness, we must speak happiness. Our speech is a gift to others. We can lift them up or depress them. The poem mentions the problem of complaining about ill health. This is something I heard one woman call "organ recitals"--referring to the state of the heart, the liver, the kidneys, etc. during a meal.   It is always inappropriate to discuss bodily functions, details of your recent surgery (how much blood was spilled, etc.) while people are taking tea or eating.  It is more encouraging  to give a good report. (Philippians 4:8)

If you are involved in a regular Ladies Bible Study, you need to be especially careful to give visiting ladies a good impression. I have heard outsiders say of these classes that they would have enjoyed it better if there had not been so much bad news discussed among the ladies after the lesson was finished. 

Sometimes when people are in a group, they forget themselves and get carried away with topics that are not appropriate or uplifting. Everyone seemed eager to report personal details of their lives that are not encouraging, or gruesome details of things that ought not to be spoken of in public.  This kind of talk can be corrected by taking Philippians 4:8 into the mind and applying it every time you are tempted to say something that would give a visitor a bad impression of the Lord's church. Before you speak about unsavory things, look around the room and see if there might be anyone there who is weaker or who may not be edified by what you say. Be sure that your conversation is uplifting and beneficial without being macabre.

 An outsider will think that Christianity must be a miserable life, when all they hear is women in the church talking about horrible things. God's people are not supposed to be morose, fearful, complaining  or gloomy. They need to talk happiness and overcome the world.

View this Susan Rios Painting Here

I am reading an old book online titled, "The Joy of Living," by Orison Marden, written in 1913. In it, the author chides her own generation for worrying about the future, and speaks of ways to enjoy the present to the fullest.  At the beginning of chapter XXV , which is titled "Turning the Water of Life into Wine,  is written, "If it is a dark day, never mind. You will add to the brightness."

Beginning the Day At Home

Rosey Beginnings

by Susan Rios

View this art

 here.

If you are just getting started in homemaking, or thinking about it, here are some ideas I'd like to pass on, which I learned years ago.



Write Your Plans The Night Before: Supply yourself with a very special note pad, pen/pencil, and carefully write out your homemaking  plans for the next day.  Shop the day before for essential meal supplies, and anything else that will make housekeeping more efficient and pleasant.  Items might include:

Apron -as pretty as possible

An attractive (to you) notebook and pen

Special soap for any  washing dishes

New dish rag and dish towel for drying

A scented candle for the home

A soothing musical CD to listen to

A tray for tea time

Flock-lined rubber gloves

Cotton work gloves or garden gloves

Most of these things can all be obtained at your local Dollar Tree store. Find the most attractive items to grace your home, which is the most important place on earth. The reason for including them on your shopping list is for the pleasure of using them while you are homemaking. 

Homemaking is more than cleaning and cooking. It is also providing an  atmosphere in your home that makes it a lovely and soothing place to be, and this is helped with some of these little extras.  It will take some effort, but the results are worth it.  If you prefer, try making some things such as your own napkins for the table, candles, soap, or crocheting a dishrag from cotton yarn. It is not necessary to buy everything, but to do whatever you can.

View This Susan Rios Teatime Painting Here.

Prepare a tea-time tray for yourself for a tea break at a time of the day that you determine. Place it the room that is the most presentable, to give it a look of orderliness, and to make you look forward to completing certain tasks before you sit down to enjoy it. You might take tea when the mail comes, or when you want to look at the new issue of a favorite publication.*See note below.

Find This Here



Make Your Plans on Paper:

After you have gathered your supplies, you can make your plans to begin the next day afresh, ready for managing your home. This consists of such things as:

Making the front room, living room, or whatever will be seen first from the front door, presentable. This is perhaps something that could be done the previous evening.

Meal plans with menus and any reminders to yourself about the meal preparation, table settings, etc.

Cleaning the kitchen

Making beds

Putting clean towels in the bathroom, adding a new bar of soap, or whatever is needed.

Outdoor work

Any errands requiring use of the car.

Possible visits you might receive

Correspondence.

Essential sewing, mending

Leisure time that includes creativity.

A possible selection of writing materials for the home office: blank notebooks with interesting covers, and attractive pens, pencils, most available from Dollar Tree and discount stores.

This is just a sample list, and will vary greatly from house to house. Some times the demands on the homemaker are so great, that only a few things on her list will be accomplished. In that case, they can be transferred to the next day's list. The best way to discover what you need to do, is to discover how your family lives, and what they need the most, what they are constantly looking for around the house, what they use, when they are hungry, what they need to do, and so forth. 

 Even if you are newly married, there will be plenty to do, if you are being conscientious about your time. Naturally, without children, there will not be a huge amount of laundry or dishes to do, so this is a great time to be sewing, knitting, or making things for the home.

I know a young woman who says she "just lives in a trailer."  She is newly married, and never once has she hesitated for something to do. She redecorated her little abode by creating a hanging garden around the entire house, and inside, she covered the couch, made pillows and matching curtains, a table cloth, tea cosy, and all kinds of charming accessories from the same calico cloth.

She is also an efficient homemaker, and is good about making sure that her husband always has clean clothes and always has something hearty and homemade to eat, and often has company. Her dining table, though small, is set with her wedding china. "I want to create good memories of our humble first years," she says, and that is why she appreciates the day at hand, not worrying about the future and not concerned about whether they will have a "real" house, but carefully planning for it and living each day fully and beautifully.

Prepare Yourself:

Mary Kay, who founded a famous skin care company, wrote in her book that she never showed herself to her family or anyone coming to the door,  until she was bathed and fully dressed, hair fixed, looking pleasant and ready for the world. Some women find it better to get up and get prepared before the rest of the household begins their day, when the shower is available and all is quiet.

Being home, you may not think anyone will see you all day, but if you have children, your appearance and cleanliness and attention to grooming will leave a permanent impression on them that they will emulate in the future. God sees you, and as one author wrote, "I must wear my prettiest dress today, The flowers in my garden will want to see me."  This is a fanciful explanation but seriously, the way we dress is a reflection of how we feel about life, and shows respect for the God who created us. Our mode of dress also helps create a mood or attitude of success in whatever we put our hands and minds to do.

Spend Some Time Alone:

Whether you have a room you can sit in or your just get up ahead of the rest of the crowd, you may find it very beneficial to have some time to think before the day begins, with all the urgent things that will beckon you. Open your Bible and your heart to God's guidance, and pray that He will help you guide your home and accomplish the most important things on your list.

When I say "urgent things" I simply mean that people must be fed on time, and that clothes must be washed, floors must be swept, and other things done. If you lag, you'll find the day gets worse as duties pile up. Nothing is more discouraging than trying to prepare a meal when the last meal's pots and pans are still in the sink waiting to be washed, and the dishes are not loaded in the dishwasher.  If you have children and are training them to do this work, you still have to supervise it and are still responsible to see that it gets done. This is the way you guide the home. (First Timothy 5:14)

If for some reason you are not able to spend the first few moments of the day gathering your thoughts and thinking about the day's activities, at least you will be dressed and have taken care of your appearance, will make a big difference in your efficiency.

View This Painting Here

Begin Your First Task

Light a scented candle, put on some music or something that helps you pace yourself, and begin your daily work. In former days, we used to sing when we were involved in anything that would take a long time. By the time all the verses of a song or hymn were sung, the job was finished. Children can be included in everything you do, as they follow you from job to job and room to room, and that way, you can keep an eye on them at the same time.

Pay Attention to Your Work But Keep the Rest of the Atmosphere in Mind:

Some people can concentrate on something even when life is crashing down around them, but most people need to have peace and quiet while working. It is good to be cleaning the kitchen, but a homemaker needs to be flexible enough to correct other matters in the home so that she can work in peace. Do not lose yourself so much in washing dishes that you fail to hear what is going on in the rest of the home, or that you cannot sense the loss of peacefulness.  Be able to work, but be aware of what is going on around you. If you are homeschooling, I think it is very important to have a neat, clean, and orderly, yet beautiful atmosphere in your home. It adds to the peace and the ability to learn good things. I think part of homeschooling should be homemaking. It sets the tone for the day's learning. Just be aware of the atmosphere of the home and see that it is pleasing and refreshing to the spirit.

Never Lose An Awareness That You Are Accountable to God:

Your motivation for doing your best at home and providing the most wonderful life for your family cannot rest merely on the approval of others. Good manners, good housekeeping, knowledge, wisdom and understanding are all part of a higher code of living that comes from reading the Bible and doing your best. Not everyone in the family will understand it or appreciate it, but they will be taught and guided by your example.

View this Susan Rios Painting Here.

Preparing for homemaking is important because day by day, it sets your family on a course that will enable them to function in life. It will enable you to offer hospitality with peace of mind. Not only that, but keeping house is a fulfillment of the scriptures.

*If you cannot find the ideal magazine or publication for your leisure reading, I would like to pass on an idea I learned from someone. She finds all her favorite articles, recipes, homemaking tips and decorating photographs and prints them out, binding them in one personal magazine which is sometimes as much as 40 pages. Then she enjoys sitting down and reading them in room she has just finished cleaning, during a rest time. She says that reading the articles from paper is a huge difference from reading them on screen, and then she adds it to her personal library. You can make a cover out of sturdier paper and protect the home made magazine.

If you do this, you can punch holes in the left margin and insert wired ribbon to easily bind it, and oh..please don't forget to include some things you like from Home Living!

 Sample of Hand Made Magazine Using Antique Clip Art on the Cover

Handmade Note Cards for Homemakers

Notes

by Susan Rios

Buy this print here.

Click for a larger view.

Greeting cards and note cards of quality can be  expensive. You can get a box of 8 at a dollar store, but the scene or art is not always beautiful or as perfect as you might like it. Here is a way for very busy homemakers to have cards on hand for quick replies and notes such as thank-you notes, acceptance notes, invitations to tea, or just thinking-of-you notes.

It only takes a very few supplies to make these quick and easy but bursting-with-beauty cards: a catalog, heavy papers, glue and scissors. This might be a good craft project for children when they need some kind of creative kit to spend some leisurely hours.

These are quite easy, using things you may already have.  After sending in your order for seeds and bulbs, use the beautiful catalog for clip-art. The photographs are bright and glossy and they work well for making quick cards. You might also cut out from scrap papers squares and rectangles to make backgrounds for the pictures you choose. Use any fancy pens you have to make outlines or to write the greeting on the inside.

Seed catalogs have beautiful photographs suitable for making cards.

Find the pictures you really like and cut them out. In this flower catalog, the pictures are free of the catalog numbers (A, B, C, D etc) making them ideal for lovely cards.



Collect the materials: clipped pictures from catalogs, background pieces made from punched paper*, and folded blank cards, which you make yourself from card stock or paper.



Get the card ready by cutting a piece of card stock or heavy paper (or just paper) in half.

 Fold each half in half again to make two cards.

 The paper here is the same size as printer paper, 8 and 1/2 inch by 11 inches. 

 Each cut piece is 4 and 1/4 inch by 5 inches.

The above card is made simply by pasting a picture clipped from a garden catalog onto the center of a piece of white card stock or heavy white paper.

Spend a little time making a lay-out by placing your clipped pictures on the cards or the little background pieces which can be cut with shaped scissors. Change the pictures and the cards to see which ones look best together, taking note of the brightness, the contrast, and the colors. Then, lay out all your selections, with the pictures on the cards, and glue everything, centering them as you wish. Not everything has to be centered, though. Try putting the pictures off to one side, or slanted, or in whichever way looks best to you.   You can also add diamond or tear drop stickers for sparkle or dew on the flowers, but these cards are made mainly with two ingredients: one picture and one card.





If you have a punch, you can make a butterfly and add it to your card.

This picture is placed on top of one of those pieces made by a craft punch.  I love the field of mauve tulips in front of a white garden bench.

Clip art can come from any magazines and catalogs, and work well if the paper is high quality. The teapot and teacup picture makes a perfect invitation to, or thank-you-note for tea.

Another catalog yielded this lovely piece showing a hammock between two trees across a green lawn.

Beneath this picture of a white fluffy flower is another craft punched piece of paper, edged in butterflies.

To make an envelope, open up one that you already have, glue it onto heavy paper or card stock, and cut it out.

Use it for a template by tracing around it on plain paper.  Then cut it out. You can stack several pieces of paper and cut them all out at once.

Fold the envelopes the way the original was folded.

Print out my template below, and follow the directions written on it for folding, making the flat edge fold up over the two pointed edges of the envelop, at the bottom.

These cards make good stationery gifts. I'm giving away this stack of cards to a busy person who really needs them.

This is the way to address an envelope: 

In the upper left corner, write your own name and address.

On the front of the envelope write:

First line: The name of the recipient

Second line: the number and street.

Third line: City, a comma, and the State, and the zip code (not included above, but goes right next to the state, on the same line)

Fourth Line: if you are sending the letter outside of your own country, in clear writing, indicate the name of the country.

Here is the template for the envelope that fits for the cards. Just click on for a larger view and then click "print."  Follow the numbers to determine the folding procedure. Remember to paste it on to heavier paper, then cut it out and use it to trace around for your envelopes.

I personally liked the plain picture on the plain card. It took very little time. If you are a busy person, and don't have time to make a stack of these, try making just one of them.



A textured piece of card-stock, a punched piece, and a picture of tulips from the catalog.

It is easy to be creative when you already have things on hand, and it is also nice to have a stack of cards and envelopes ready at any time. I keep mine on my desk, along with stamps and a pen, so that I can answer mail easily. It is hard to calculate the cost but it does no harm to the family budget.

Use a sticker, or make one by pasting on another floral clipping, to seal the back of the envelope.

This is also a good way to use the calendar pictures from the calendar I made for you at the beginning of the year:

I used Dimensions or Scribbles for the little drops of water on the flower.

Hand-made and hand-written notes are always welcome in the mailbox, and the post office never gets a virus and loses all your addresses like the computer does.

I walked out to the mail box, which was a ways from the house, one overcast, cold day, and found in it a brightly colored magazine issue, with a bouquet of flowers on the cover. It made such a difference in my day, that I thought it must be nice for anyone to open up a piece of mail with something as pretty as that. When I make these cards, I always think of the feeling of cheer it will give someone, and wish the card itself could be seen right away instead of the envelope, like that bright magazine cover. I believe it was one of the older Victoria magazines, and I will always remember how it made me feel to see it in the morning of a gloomy day. It would be nice if the envelope was made of  cellophane or some see through material so that the floral picture could be seen right away when someone goes out to get their mail. You can paste these same lovely pictures to the back of your envelope, or you can add a bright sticker to seal it on the back.  Once you have your envelope template, you can trace it around a large picture or print of some kind. Then, cut a small piece of blank paper on which to write the address, and paste it on top.

Hello Anita

Pensive Moment

by Daniel Ridgway Knight

American,  1839-1924

I received your lovely package, but have lost your address! Please contact me so I can thank you properly.