A Trip Worth Taking

I'm getting excited about the end of May...

A little Fun

Who are you in Anne's Circle of Friends?

Today I thought I would share a sampling of quotations that I've happened upon over the past few years and jotted down in my "inspiration" spiral. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

"Lord, do Thou turn me all into love,
and all my love into obedience,
and let my obedience be
without interruption."
-Jeremy Taylor

“A good wife is Heaven’s last, best gift to man, his angel and minister of graces innumerable, his gem of many virtues; her voice his sweetest music, her smiles his brightest day, her kiss the guardian of his innocence, her arms the pale of his safety, the balm of his health, the sure balsam of his life; her industry his surest wealth, her economy his safest steward, her lips his faithful counselor, her bosom the softest pillow of his cares, and her prayers the ablest advocate of Heaven’s blessing on his head.”
J.R. Miller, Home Making

"Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all."
-D.L. Moody

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is in the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit."
Jeremiah 17:7-8

"For they say when you marry in June... you're a bride all your life!" - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

"Chastity is so essential and natural to your sex, that every declination from it is a proportional receding from your womanhood. An immodest woman is a kind of monster, distorted from its proper form."
A Letter of Genteel and Moral Advice to a Young Lady
Wetenhall Wilkes, 1741

"My greatest ambition is to have a successful, happy marriage." -Nancy Reagan

"She is grace herself. . . . That is what a woman ought to be. She ought to produce the effect of exquisite music." -George Eliot

"A woman's worth is to be estimated by the real goodness and sweetness of her character; and a woman with a kindly disposition and well-balanced temper, is both lovely and attractive, be her face ever so plain and her figure ever so homely; she makes the best of wives and the truest of mothers."
- T.L. Haines & L.W. Yaggy ('To Young Women', 1876)

"Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance; commits his body
To painful labor, both by sea and land;
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou li’st warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks, and true obedience-
Too little payment for so great a debt.
Such duty as the subject owes the prince,
Even such a woman oweth to her husband;
And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,
And no obedient to his honest will,
What is she but a foul contending rebel,
And graceless traitor to her loving lord?
I asham’d that women are so simple
‘To offer war where they should kneel for peace,
Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway,
When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.
Why are our bodies soft, and weak, and smooth,
Unapt to toil and trouble in the world,
But that our soft conditions, and our hearts,
Should well agree with our external parts?"

-Kate, “The Taming of the Shrew"

"Ladies should also remember that gentlemen look more to the effect of a dress in setting off the figure and countenance of a lady than to its cost. Very few gentlemen have any idea the value of ladies' dresses. This is a subject for female criticism. Beauty of person and elegance of manners in women will always command more admiration from the opposite sex than beauty, elegance or costliness of clothing."
The Scholars' Companion and Ball Room Vade Mecum
Thomas Hillgrove, 1857

"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."
-Anna L. Waring

The fruit of my Momma's hands

Yesterday my Momma and I organized and cleaned out some of her old maternity clothes and my baby clothes. I am so excited to know that when I am ready to put them to use, she saved lots of things for me! From little tees to lace trimmed shirts and a green silk dress, most of the maternity clothes she made will be happily worn by me, Lord willing! :)
I am so amazed at my her sewing skills, I had to share my little dresses she saved. She made all of these- and the details are breathtaking. Pictures just won't do them justice. All the insides are finished to perfection- bound with soft fabrics for sweet baby skin, trimmed with hand sewn cotton lace, and all smocked or embroidered by my Momma's sweet hands. I pray the Lord blesses us with a daughter so that these may all be worn again!

So here for your viewing enjoyment, is a sampling of her work. Nothing is store bought- everything is hand made. I'm hoping to learn how to smock sometime soon so that I can make things as lovely as these!

Thank you so much, Momma, for loving me so much and putting so much love into my clothes!!

A beautiful Christmas dress in red velvet, trimmed with lace and a deep ruffle at the bottom, covered by a smocked pinafore with little Christmas trees.



These are some of my favorites. Little rompers... I just love the sheep. And I love the unique touch of the little black sheep :)



A closeup of those cute little sheep :)



Hand painted little tulips over a seersucker jumper.



My "Little House on the Prairie" dress. And my flower girl dress, made with one of my Mema's handkerchiefs for a collar, with pretty little pintucks. Too bad I wouldn't actually walk down the aisle in it... :) Guess I was a little too scared at the last minute!



Little painted farm animals on my denim jumper.



Lovely summer dresses!



My Easter dress. Apparently I sat down the first time I wore it and picked off all the little bunny tails. Momma had to make new ones!



A closeup of the bunnies!




More summer dresses!


And last, a gingham dress with my initials.

A little Hint

of projects in the works...



"How big should I make my petticoat?"

"Our petticoats were so big, we used to knock the pencils off of the desks when walking past!" -My grandmother in law, said with a little chuckle :)

What I woke up to this Morning

Note to self: Never leave cat treats in reach of cat.

Bad Kitty.

Modesty in the Christian Woman

After some sweet requests for a post on modesty, I have been trying to write this post in my head for several days. First, I would like to begin by saying that any modesty in my life is truly a testimony to the Lord changing hearts and having everlasting patience to bring His children to sanctification. Before I became a Christian, I had absolutely no thought about modesty. My only concern was what looked pretty and popular. I look back on so many of my choices with sadness and shame, but I remember that Godly sorrow leadeth to repentance. Which is a Good Thing. Even after I became a Christian, I didn't really understand modesty. It took many years, and many godly young women in my life to help me to follow the Lord's leading in this area. I think the biggest struggle was that I saw modesty as being unattractive. I saw young ladies not dressing feminine at all, and that was my picture of a modest woman! Well, I certainly didn't want any part of that. Thanks be to God, He led me, through a series of funny coincidences, to Ladies Against Feminism. Wow! What a great website. That is when I really *got* modesty finally. (I'm a slow learner!) And even now, every day, I learn more about what being modest is really about. So this is definitely not a "how to" post from a girl who "is completely there". This is just my testimony about my own personal journey, and the Lord's sweet forgiveness and lovingkindness towards me.
Believe this... it was a long journey. It involved a lot of struggle. It still does sometimes! Oh, that sinful nature. It does creep up on you! I had to throw out quite a bit of my clothing. I had friends and family members who slowly noticed the change, and began to think I'd gone completely out of my mind. But if someone asks me why "I wear skirts all the time" or why "I've changed the way I dress so much", what a great opportunity to tell them about the Hope that I have! And how my Saviour has changed my heart and my life!
Here's a little bit of the nitty gritty, so to speak. Some call "rules" legalistic. Now I'm not saying that being modest will save your soul. No sirree, it will bring you no salvation, and no joy, without accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. So don't call me legalistic, thank you :)
I stick to "elbows to freckle to bottoms of kneecaps". Turns out I have a wonderful freckle a few inches below my collarbone smack in the middle of my chest. I think this was God's way of giving me a marker :) Also, OF COURSE, if you can see the outlines of your body or the contours of every feminine curve, it doesn't matter that it's a different color because your wearing clothing over it. So yes... I think skirts are more modest than pants. ( Eeek! Now people will really think I'm crazy! ) But also I believe there are times and places for looser pants (loose scrubs or along those lines) or a cute above-the-knees dress over jeans. I do have my trendy days....
My own personal thought? Err on the side of caution. When it comes to Judgement Day, I would much rather hear, "You were a little more modest than you needed to be," than "You led many men into sin by your appearance." Once again, this has been such a long road for me. By Grace the Lord has showed me and led me gently to where I am today. Never think that you can't change. Never think you've gone too far to return to modesty. Remember what the Lord says about the greater debter? May I love more for my forgiveness. For without that, I would be the greatest sinner of them all.
Now about my sweet hubby... He said he might guest post about this subject! But he is a very busy man, being the wonderful provider he is. So it might be a while before he does! I can say though, how unbelievably hard it would be to uphold standards of modesty if your husband did not support it. What a tragedy that would be. Praise God my hubby loves the fact that I save my feminine form for his eyes only.
Hear are some of the things that helped change my heart, my point of view, and just plain encourage me:
The Secret Garden, by Mrs. Jennie Chancey
Ladies Against Feminism Modesty Section
A Return to Modesty, by Wendy Shalit
Getting Used to Dresses
My favorite article about modesty, by Mrs. Jennie Chancey
If anyone has a question... or wants to add their own standards or a great link, please let me know!