Monday, December 06, 2010

Society News December 2010





This month has been already been filled with activity, including the following:

Visitors: 
* Maryam from Alaska and her grandson came and had a High Tea with me. We were both homesteaders in the 1950's, and she bought 6 of my "Just Breathing the Air" books to give to her relatives.

*The Ladies Bible Study Class met in my home and enjoyed hot apple-cranberry-blueberry juice with cinnamon.  We read all the verses we could find on guarding against anxiety, which I will try to include in a future post.

*Sarah in Australia phoned me and we chatted for over an hour. It always amazes me how clear and close the voices sound when talking to anyone overseas.


*I got my first card of the season from Mavis Bowan in the North Island of New Zealand. She always hand makes her cards by recycling old ones and adding new bling to them with bits and pieces of shiny materials.

An e-friend has written some handy homemaking e-books for a frugal price. These are very helpful to those who want to know more about housekeeping and homemaking, and there are always things in these kinds of books that even the seasoned homemaker may not have known.

*Creating Vintage Charm came in the mail today in a clear cellophane bag, and has such pretty things in it. It has high quality paper and a lot of project instructions and some beautiful reproducible tags. Everything about this magazine is soothing and bright. Hint: if you get a catalog or magazine you just love but it has a few pictures you don't like, just put a sticker over them and alter the magazine. Sometimes you can tear out a page but the back of the page might be something you want to keep, and it is more fun to use scrap papers to cover up pages you do not want to keep. You can do the same thing to a calendar picture if you don't care for the one that comes up that month. These days you can find all kinds of graphics and paintings to print out and paste over the pictures. I like calendars but sometimes there is a month that has a very dull picture or something that is just not as inspiring as I would like.  Your computer might have a program that makes a calendar where you can pick your own pictures from your picture file. You might check here for an 1800's Victorian lady calendar that you can download.

*I have several pattern pages for templates to make easy tags or ornaments, as well as a garland, which I hope to show soon.

*I have made gingerbread cookies from cookie cutters shaped like houses. My own house is really a wreck, but at least it smells nice here.
.
Cottage of Delights 2, Malcolm Surrage,
from Allposters.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lydia,

It was wonderful to speak to you yesterday. I've got a slection of cards by the 'Artists without hands' folk and wonder if you would like them, not only to use as cards, but to salvage some of their pictures to use in future cards/folk art for your home or as gifts? Same goes for the 2010 calendar; it is small enough to post easily; would you like it for pics?

I'm very behind on card sending this year; should get them out by the end of the week.

I wish I could drop over and give you a hand on the home front!! the phone does (almost tauntingly) reduce tens of thousands of miles to what seems like only a room away.

thank you for your friendship and ministry!!

Sarah.

Caroline said...

Oh, the Christmas season is upon us. SO JOYFUL! I love this little peek into how you are spending it.

xoxo Caroline

The Lady of the House said...

Regarding your overseas phone conversation, I have an elderly friend who is so surprised at what a good connection we have when we speak long distance -- from Colorado to Kentucky. She'd be amazed at who good an overseas connection can be.

Sounds like you've been having a delightful time.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sister Lydia,
I wonder if you could share a word of encouragement for us younger homeschooling ladies? The ones with multiple grade levels. We are in the peak of busyness.

I want to do pretty crafts, but scholarly tasks and basic homekeeping, cooking, shopping, etc take most of my time. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Thank you.