Psalm 131

My heart is not proud, O Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

A Saturday outing

On Saturday, my friend Susan and I took off to the northern extremities of Nebraska, around the Ashfalls fossil bed area. Susan's friend Marilee lives in a small town nearby, in an old (for Nebraska!) home built in 1873. We met up with Marilee and, after eating lunch at a cute little roadside restaurant called Green Gables, made our way out to Ashfalls.

It was a lovely day to be outdoors -- not too hot, not too windy -- and Susan and I enjoyed seeing the terrain of northeastern Nebraska (hills! and trees!).




Marilee's home was a delight to the eyes (see my previous post). She is, among other things, a fiber artist, and she had several beautiful quilts that were given to her by crafty friends. She is also a collector of antiques, and I just loved all the beautiful old books, furnitures, wall art, etc. that filled her home!

My favorite touch, however, was probably the mis-matched lace curtains (Battenburg and woven lace) at the windows. She had thrown the windows open and a gentle breeze fluttered through the house, bringing fresh air and outdoor scents within. Before we headed back home, Susan and I enjoyed sampling Marilee's homemade wild rose and vanilla tea. It was a thoroughly lovely day!

Victorian house

Books and a nest:


Blue bottles:


Layers of wallpaper -- an archaeological dig!


Boy, did I have fun taking photos today! I'll share more about today's adventures at a later date...

Purple cloche

While web-hopping, I came across this gorgeous cloche hat at the Etsy shop, BoringSidney. Don't you just love that swooping brim?!

I actually have two plain wool cloches (black and khaki) that I've been planning on trimming. Shops like this are great for inspiration!

Excerpt from my current reading

"The cottage was an old-fashioned, countrified place standing in a garden crammed with fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, and lavender bushes. Inside, it had none of the conveniences now considered essential to comfort. Water had to be drawn up with a long hooked pole from a well in the garden; paraffin lamps and candles lighted the hours of darkness, and the sanitation was primitive. There were red-tiled floors in the downstairs rooms, and the only fireplace besides the small oven grate in the kitchen was the parlour grate, of the high, bow-barred, basket-shaped kind under a high mantelpiece now seen only in old prints. But the unenlightened Finches found their house comfortable enough; indeed, they rather prided themselves upon living in one of the most commodious cottages in the village, with a parlour and three bedrooms, whereas most of their neighbours had but one room downstairs and two, at most, upstairs. The tiled floors were made warm and comfortable with home-made rugs and long strips of red and brown matting, and the low price of coals made it possible to keep up roaring great fires in cold weather. 'I'm going to make this house as warm and snug as a chaffinch's nest,' her mother had said one day, while spreading out on the floor a handsome new black-and-scarlet rug she had been making, and that idea had pleased her small daughter, for weren't they themselves Finches, and was not the cottage their nest? She liked the idea of a nest better than that of a castle, for a castle she had never seen, and there were nests in every hedgerow."

--Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson, published 1948

Camping

Friday evening, my parents and I headed up to camp for a weekend of fellowship with other families from our church. We will not dwell on Friday night, but allow me to hint that it included cold weather, a hungry mouse, and lack of sleep. Saturday was definitely an improvement!

I had the most fun on the ropes course. There are three activities to try: a 40-foot climbing wall, a 25-foot pole from which one jumps to a trapeze swing, and a high course in which one must cross timber beams and wire with minimal support, only to jump down on a zipline at the end.


I did make it to the top of the wall, although I had to "cheat" two or three times by inserting my hand into a crack between the wooden planks, when I couldn't quite reach the next hand-hold!


Here I am leaping for that trapeze. I did not make it! Frankly, I think most women lack the upper arm strength to grip the bar tightly enough to hold on!


Those boots I'm wearing didn't give the best traction, but I managed to get around the course anyway.

The other highlight of the weekend was spending time with our assistant pastor's four-year-old daughter, who inexplicably latched on to me, as children sometimes do with young people. I found her to be a sweet, polite, and affectionate child, so we had a good time together!

Paper dolls

My mom came home from her errands this afternoon and said she had bought me a surprise! She then showed me three adorable paper dolls that she found at a local store, dressed in the most darling 1930s fashions. (And yes, Mom is aware that I'm 24, not 4 -- but she's also aware of my mania for 1930s clothes!)

Meet Janey.


And here's Pam (who greatly resembles a little girl I baby-sit!).


And Ted!


I love that he has a little newspaper hat! Isn't childhood sweet? :)


Here are some of Janey's dresses. They are so cute and simple -- you can bet I will be making some like these for any future daughters or nieces! :)

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness...

I'm getting a little ahead of myself here as our leaves haven't started turning yet -- I took this picture last year. But I'm certainly looking forward to the beautiful flaming hues of our sugar maple tree!

Autumn is here

Yesterday, the weather cooled off considerably and today we awoke to a drizzly, gray morning. Actually, I love this kind of weather (in moderation) as it reminds me of Scotland. Mom has been lighting candles around the house today and at some point this week I'm sure we will get out the fall decorations to brighten our home. I love the comfortable rituals that accompany the changing seasons, and the surety we possess that...

While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night
Shall not cease.

--Genesis 8:22

Messiah

Dad and I are on board to be a part of the community choir's performance of Handel's Messiah this coming December! Our local college performs it triennially, in conjunction with the town symphony orchestra and any members of the community who want to throw in their hats. That is the great thing about living in a small town -- beggars can't be choosers, and in this case, I can be a part of this performance, despite my musical ineptitude. (I figure I can't do too much damage hidden away in the choir.)

So, what is your favorite piece from Messiah? (And you cannot cite the "Hallelujah Chorus," because we all like it.) My two favorites are the recitative, "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth," and the air that immediately follows it, "The people that walked in darkness." Gotta love that bass!!

Toad-in-the-Hole

Today Mom went off to a birthday luncheon, so Dad and I were by ourselves for lunch. I fixed Toad-in-the-Hole, and boy, was Dad happy! I think this recipe would also be a hit with small children, not only because of the fun name but because of the simple ingredients (basically, it's Yorkshire pudding and sausages).

Classic English Toad-in-the-Hole

• 1-1/2 cup plain flour
  
• salt and pepper
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1-1/2 cup milk
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• ~1 lb. of sausage links

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Make a well in the center of the flour. Gradually whisk the eggs and the milk into the center of the well in the flour to smooth out lumps. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.

Brown the sausages in a little olive oil and cook through, about 10 minutes.

Put sausages in a roasting pan, pour the batter over the sausages and place in oven. Cook for about 20 minutes or until batter is risen and golden. Serves 4-6.

Baby dress collar

Today I had some time to get started on embroidering the collar for the baby dress I mentioned in this post. I drew up a little design to follow the curve of the collar, but then my transfer pencil didn't work very well. So, I ended up doing it freehand, which means the stitches look a little quirkier than usual. However, what I love about handmade items are those very quirks!

I'm so excited to finish this little dress -- it's going to be adorable, if I do say so myself. :)

Favorite names

My requisites for names are that they be uncommon and old-fashioned (and, apparently, unpronounceable by Americans, at least for boys). Soooo, my favorites for boys:

• Edmund
  
• Ralph (RAFE)
  
• Rupert
  
• St. John (SIN-jin)
  
• Hamish (HAY-mish)
  
• Aubrey
  
• Owen

Favorites for girls:

• Rosamund
  
• Violet
  
• Evelyn
  
• Lavinia
  
• Eleanor
  
• Harriet
  
• Louisa

(These names may be destined for pets if I don't get married or if my future husband hates old-fashioned, British-sounding names -- but I don't think I would marry such an uncouth fellow.) ;)

September goldenrod