Mother/Daughter Weekend

Our dear friends invited us to a local conference, and it was such a blessing for my family to spend the weekend in sweet fellowship at their lovely home! It was a delight to meet other like-minded ladies this weekend, along with quite a few blog readers--How wonderful!

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Crafts

They had tables set up for daughters

and Mothers to create notebooks together...

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Knitting needles and yarn was provided for

ladies to knit together during breaks!

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My sister taught a few girls how to crochet--that was such a sweet sight!

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It was so encouraging to hear scriptures on Biblical womanhood

& testimonies of Homemakers...

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An Old-fashioned Hairstyle

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1. Clip hair half up/down, then divide into two sections

2. Braid the two sections of hair

3. Starting from the right, guide braid over to the left,

so that the ends are being held in place, while it's pinned.

4. Do the same for the left side until secure.

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I thought this style was lovely, I had to share!

A Tea party!

At the closing of the conference,

all the ladies dressed up for an afternoon Tea :)

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It was a delightful time, and we all enjoyed the fellowship immensely!

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Busy in the kitchen...

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Edwardian Skirt (Finished!)

I love the simple style of the skirt, and have enjoyed wearing it all day! (I used the Butterick 3418 pattern, but constructed the waistband myself)

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Back

I'm still working on the closure {I used hook and eyes} but it will do for now!

ps) I'm wearing a hat of course :)

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(Paired with my jacket)
This was such a fun outfit to wear out at the grocery today! :) lol I can't imagine what they were thinking...

I'm inspired to continue to hand-sew though... It's fun to be able to work on a project while watching a family movie, or even whilst on the road during trips!

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Kindredly Yours,

Mia

Enjoying January

I'm hand-sewing another Edwardian skirt, but it has taken me longer than expected! It's almost finished though. I'm using the "oversewing stitch" for the bottom hem, plus, I want it to fasten with buttons, not a zipper...

The material is a smoky dark grey w/ a hint of plaid. It's a heavy wool/cotton blend..much more authentic than my last one! I bought it from the secondhand store in a bundle for $3.00--I think it's about 4-5 yds of fabric.

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When I recently helped out at a Historical Museum, I brought my skirt pieces along to sew as the tourists went through. It was a great opportunity to show the tourists an old-fashioned hand craft..it was nice to get some sewing done while interacting and answering questions of those who were interested!

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A snapshot of my garden area...it's 1/4 acre. My dad drove a huge trailer filled w/ year old manure up to the area, and I emptied the load myself...It was about 3,000 lbs! lol! It took me two days, but now all the beds are covered w/ about 3-4 inches.

(The grassy area is for the melons/pumpkins to spread)

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We all worked together to get my Mother's herb garden ready too.

Her kitchen garden will host a few vegetables as well...

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I did an experiment and sprouted some garlic for a few weeks, so a few days ago I put them in the garden...hopefully they'll make it!

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Organizing Seeds

I thought I'd show you how I organize my seeds! Well, I'll share a little history...

When I was in my pre-teens, I was really into the craze of collecting trading cards w/ my friends--I bought special clear pages to store all my cards in. When I recently came across these again, I thought this would be a great way to store seeds!

Each "card sleeve" holds a few packs of seeds, so it's much easier to visually find what I'm looking for. I keep the binder in a dark, cool place. I have both heirloom and traditional seeds.

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Second-Hand Treasures

I've had luck finding brooms lately! The one on the left is completely hand woven on the handle! It's 3' tall and I paid $0.25 for it! The one on the right is a few inches shorter, and I paid $0.50 for it. These are really helpful to keep in the corners of my bedroom to actually use, and as decor!
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I bought this oil lamp for $1.00. The handle is like an old-fashioned key, and it is in great condition! It was dusty in the corner of the store, and needed a home!!

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My sister shelling soybeans for lunch...

The tall grass in the back is our 2nd area for picking dewberries in the summer :)

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"By the breath of God ice is given,

And the broad waters are frozen" Job 37:10

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My Dad and sister in the kitchen,

adding fun ingredients to cookie dough..

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My Mother reading by candlelight...

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A new friend recently shared this verse with me:

'Tis the gift to be simple,

'tis the gift to be free,

'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

It will be in the valley of love and delight.

Winter: A time to rest, learn and prepare

"Winter is the time for comfort -

it is the time for home." Edith Sitwell

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I've really been inspired to grow a large garden this year and do ALOT of canning & drying--I'm using this time to plan, prepare the ground, and read as much as I can on the subject!

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This book,"The Self-Sufficient Life and how to live it" by John Seymour is a wonderful read for the garden enthusiast. I recieved this book as a gift, and am really enjoying myself! The author truly lived a rugged, self-sufficient life, and shares so much knowledge on his experiences. My whole family is involved with drawing up plans for a productive heirloom veg. garden, orchard, and herb garden so we don't have to depend on the city grocery as much :)

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I didn't preserve much last year, but now I'm taking my time to mark our favorite foods, which of those grow in our region, and creating a space where we can grow it! Through my research, I've studied: Agriculture/Farming, Botany, Horticulture, Garden design , and History of heirlooms/genetics.

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Because I know we'll be doing alot of preserving, I've been using the past few weeks to collect canning jars. At SecondHand stores, I find most pints and quarts for 25-50 cents each. I have 50+ jars so far :) Keep your eyes on the lookout for them, I've found some great deals!

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This week I'll start pepper seeds indoors, so that they'll be transplant size by late March.

Following peppers will be tomato, squash and more!

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It's taken me a while to update because I've misplaced my USB cable -- So hopefully I'll find it soon so that I can post photo's! Once everything is settled, I'll be posting more regularly!

Keep warm!

*Mia

A memorable New Year celebration...

We celebrated the New Year by visiting new kindred spirits! A blogger family invited us to their home for New Years eve, and we were able to celebrate together!! It was so nice to meet them, and hope it won't be too long until we see their dear family again!

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Themed in the Regency period, we were able to dance a few dances from the era, and had so much fun! We taught them a dance as well, and it was nice that all the parents, sisters & brothers participated as well!
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Sisters

After we had refreshments, we all gathered into one of the rooms to play card games, sing & play guitar as we counted down the time until the 12th hour!
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I loved the dresses!

After celebrating the New Year (Greetings, 2010!), We all continued in edifying fellowship--It's always a blessing to be together with like-minded families!!

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New Years Morning

Aprons and scribbles

While we (the ladies) prepared breakfast, our parents were able to engage in wonderful fellowship...

Mothers discussing Homeschooling :)

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After Breakfast, we trekked through the woods, in search of the lake...

Exploring

"The shady trees cover him with their shadow;
the willows of the brook compass him about. " Job 40:22

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Perspective from the fishing dock...

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"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,

as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14

As a parting gift, I gave the family this oil lamp--Their gracious hospitality was a delight! We stayed until that afternoon, and it truly was a lovely time!

I'll try to post again in the next day or two :) Well, last year was certainly a blessing (especially being able to move out to the country), and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for 2010!

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How did you celebrate the New Year? (I'd love to know!)