A Saturday With Friends

We spent an enjoyable Saturday with the T. family at their little farm in the country!

They are such a nice family.

Guinea hens and a handsome rooster.

Mom and Mrs. T.

I really like this magnificent house we drove by on our way home. I would love to see the inside!

A river overflowing it's banks.

Midwest countryside in spring. :)

~Alyssa

Watching Films with Friends...

...is so much fun!


Elinor and Marianne

Friday evening our friends Bethany and Mindy came over and we watched the new version of Sense and Sensibility together. They had not seen this one yet, and enjoyed it a lot. We had fun discussing the film after-wards. This version is longer than the one by Emma Thompson and has all of the characters from the book...

..and some of the prettiest scenery!

One thing that really stood out to us was how this version portrays Colonel Brandon as a man of action.

He actually DID things, he hunted, he gave orders like a real Colonel would, he could dance, and he was a kind caring friend. Someone you could trust.


He fought Willoughby and defended Marianne's honor.

And he could carry on a conversation. Marianne declares the colonel is "the only person in the neighbourhood with whom one can have an intelligent conversation".

~Alyssa

Father, I Know That All My Life

Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me,
And the changes that are sure to come,
I do not fear to see;
But I ask Thee for a present mind
Intent on pleasing Thee.

I ask Thee for a thoughtful love,
Through constant watching wise,
To meet the glad with joyful smiles,
And to wipe the weeping eyes;
And a heart at leisure from itself,
To soothe and sympathize.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
Seeking for some great thing to do
Or secret thing to know;
I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.

Wherever in the world I am,
In whatsoe'er estate,
I have a fellowship with hearts
To keep and cultivate;
And a work of lowly love to do
For the Lord on whom I wait.

So I ask Thee for the daily strength,
To none that ask denied,
And a mind to blend with outward life
While keeping at Thy side;
Content to fill a little space,
If Thou be glorified.

And if some things I do not ask,
In my cup of blessing be,
I would have my spirit filled the more
With grateful love to Thee --
More careful -- not to serve Thee much,
But to please Thee perfectly.

There are briers besetting every path,
That call for patient care;
There is a cross in every lot,
And an earnest need for prayer;
But a lowly heart that leans on Thee
Is happy anywhere.

In a service which Thy will appoints,
There are no bonds for me,
For my inmost heart is taught "the truth"
That makes Thy children "free;"
And a life of self-renouncing love
Is a life of liberty.

- By Anna Laetitia Waring (1823-1910)

~Alyssa

A Visit :)

This morning we went over to a friend's house.... While Ana and Mindy did their book study, Mom, Amy and I visited with Bethany and Mrs. W.

We got to talking about photography and painting and they showed us some of the paintings various family members had done. Here is Bethany and her lovely painting of an Iris.

Their Golden Retriever 'Arthur' watched us from the entry. :)

I took this picture on the way home - the water is high along our road. If we get a lot more it will overflow the ditch...

~Alyssa

Log Cabin Quilt in the Making...

We have had a rainy soggy weekend and I have been sewing quilt blocks. :)

~Alyssa

"I Then Shall Live"

A beautiful song written by Gloria Gaither.

~Alyssa

Pleats and Piping

The summer dress I started working on last week at the ladies craft day at church, is now completed! The fabric is some my Mom found on sale at JoAnns and the pattern is one I've had for a few months now. (Also purchased on sale at JoAnns.)

The sleeves have pleats and piping...

..as does the front neckline.

I like this pattern. :) It takes longer to make than my usual basic dress pattern, due to all the pleats and piping. But it turns out so nicely! The only changes I made were to raise the neckline about 1 inch, and take the front midriff piece in 2 inches. (Otherwise it wanted to bulge out oddly in the front...not a good thing!) Oh yes, and I lengthened the skirt 4". :)
Now I need some warm weather so I can wear it!
~Alyssa

Perplexing Pants...

Our neighbor, Mrs. B., stopped by Monday evening with three pairs of pants she wanted me to hem for her husband; which I was happy to do. :) So yesterday afternoon I set about to accomplish the task at hand.

The perplexing thing was that the pants were all the same size but were not exactly alike...

one had longer legs than the other... a couple had a lower rise, and all of them had crooked hems!

"Measure twice, cut once."

I measured way more than just twice!

~I have to get this right!~

They are cut at last.
The measuring part took the longest. Ironing up the hem and sewing it was the easy part!

Finished!

~Alyssa

Ladies Craft Day

This past Saturday there was a ladies craft day at church. Most people worked on scrapbooks, but some of us sewed. :)

This was my project - a summer dress from Simplicity 2926.
I had cut it out the day before so I was all ready to go. :)

Concentrating on sewing piping onto the cuffs.

Fellow sewers. :)

Mrs. K. sewed on an 'I Spy' quilt for her grandson.

Mrs. R.'s cute old sewing machine!

We had a fun day and I got most of my bodice assembled. :)
~Alyssa

A Sign of Spring...

Paw prints in the mud...

Swirls of dirt on our driveway...

Spring is coming!

:)
~Alyssa

Wisdom from Tasha Tudor...

"Why do women want to dress like men when they're fortunate enough to be women? Why lose our femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get much more accomplished by being charming than by flaunting around in pants and smoking....


Painting by Charles James Lewis

Painting by Loren Entz

I'm very fond of men. I think they are wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don't want to look like one."

- Tasha Tudor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Alyssa

ENN Report

Go HERE to see a cute report on Phillip and Katie's wedding!
~Alyssa

Knitting

~Alyssa

Birds in the House

I was trying to think of what to do with these books of home decorating fabric samples...

...when I saw some adorable birds that Sarah had made. So I thought I would give them a try.

There are only 2 pattern pieces and they go together quite easily. :) I didn't make much of a dent in the fabric, but I had a lot of fun making these birds.

(Here is a link to the site that has the pattern.)

Now we have our own flock!

~Alyssa