Homemakers Creed

For my birthday, my parents gave me a vintage, framed copy of the "Homemakers Creed" which they found at an estate sale. I would guess it is from the '40s. It is labelled "General Mills Inc." and "Betty Crocker," so it may have been associated with some kind of sales campaign. Anyway, I'll be hanging it in my kitchen where I can view it frequently for inspiration!

HOMEMAKERS CREED

I BELIEVE
homemaking is a noble and challenging career.

I BELIEVE
homemaking is an art requiring many different skills.

I BELIEVE
homemaking requires the best of my efforts, my abilities, and my thinking.

I BELIEVE
home reflects the spirit of the homemaker.

I BELIEVE
home should be a place of peace, joy, and contentment.

I BELIEVE
no task is too humble that will contribute to the cleanliness, the order, the health, the well-being of the household.

I BELIEVE
a homemaker must be true to the highest ideals of love, loyalty, service, and religion.

I BELIEVE
home must be an influence for good in the neighborhood, the community, the country.

Musings on authors

Sisters Shannon at A Maiden's Musings and Tiffany at A High Calling tagged me for this literary-themed meme, so how could I resist? :-)

Who is your all-time favorite author and why?
It's tough to pick just one! I'm going to latch onto the adjective "all-time" and pick Agatha Christie, since she's been on my list of favorite authors for 13 years! I read my first Christie mystery, Murder for Christmas, when I was 11, and went through the rest of her mystery novels in the ensuing three years. Her writing style isn't particularly spectacular and some of her books can get a little tedious in the middle, but overall her plots are engaging, her characters realistic, and her books are just plain fun to read! I like to take her books travelling with me since it's easy to get lost in the plot anytime, anywhere. My personal favorite is By the Pricking of My Thumbs.

Who was your first favorite author and why? Do you still consider him/her to be among your favorites?
My first favorite author was probably Lloyd Alexander. He wrote a five-book children's fantasy series called the Prydain Chronicles, consisting of The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King. I think my mom first started reading them to me when I was 10 or 11. His books grabbed my imagination in a way that The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia never did (at that age, at least). I still really enjoy re-reading the Prydain Chronicles and my hardcover set is a cherished possession.

Who is the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
Dorothy Sayers is actually a relatively recent addition. My mom had been trying to get me to read her books for years and for some reason I was just never interested. Then in spring 2005 I got sick and while I was laying on the couch in misery, I started watching my mom's DVD adaptations of Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, and Gaudy Night. I got hooked and started plowing through her books, and was delighted to find that her writing is even better than her plots!

If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth?
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, John Masefield, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Evelyn Waugh, Daphne du Maurier, P. G. Wodehouse, Madeleine L'Engle, Flora Thompson.

If you've made it this far, consider yourself tagged! Feel free to post your answers on your own blog or in the comments.

[EDIT: I forgot to add the official rules! Here they are:
Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they’ve been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.]

Royal Albert teacups

The latest issue of TeaTime magazine highlights ten commemorative teaware designs put out by Royal Albert in honor of their 100th anniversary. Each of the ten designs comes from a different decade of the 20th century. I was immediately drawn to the 1930s design, Polka Rose:


It speaks to my girlish heart with its soft, muted colors, pretty polka dots, and pink roses. However, if I had to choose one for use in my home, I think I'd go with the elegant and classic Edwardian set, Regency Blue:


Which of the ten decades do you favor?

The new Victoria

So for those of you who have seen the newly resurrected Victoria magazine, what do you think? For myself, I'm hopeful for future issues, and happy to see a return to the format of the original magazine. I haven't had time yet to peruse this new issue very thoroughly, but I was bowled over by the beauty of Tasha Tudor's antique dresses, as photographed in their feature fashion story. What inspiration!

Anticipating Christmas

Every year I try to hold back my excitement for the Christmas season until a reasonable time (i.e. after Thanksgiving), but it seems I just can't do it! I've been listening to Christmas music for a couple of weeks now and the other day I started reading one of my favorite Christmas-y books (The Box of Delights by John Masefield... perhaps I will post more about it later). I've been plotting and planning my Christmas dress (cranberry wool crepe) and dreaming up ideas for our family Christmas celebration. This year we have invited some of our closest family friends to come and spend the holiday with us, and we are anticipating a joyous time together! Some of the things I'm looking forward to this year:

• midnight mass at the Episcopalian church on Christmas Eve (we are not Episcopalian, but we occasionally enjoy their services when, as Lanier says, "our High Church longings mount to a certain point!")
  
• family advent devotions and Scripture readings
  
• A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast live on the radio from King's College, Cambridge
  
• gobs of Christmas foods and smells... wassail, oranges and cloves, gingerbread, cranberries, etc.
  
• exchanging homemade gifts

Has anyone else started anticipating Christmas? :)

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

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.) ;)

Think about such things

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

--Philippians 4:8

Reasons for feminine dress

Since I've started wearing skirts and dresses more often on a daily basis, people have noticed and commented on it (always favorably). Sometimes I'm able to share my reasons for doing so. Here they are:

It's a reflection of what's going on inside of me. A few years ago, during a spiritual and emotional low-point in my life, I didn't take care of my appearance at all. I was not happy inside and I'm sure my appearance showed it. Deliberately taking the time to look nice now is a way to outwardly show the "hope that is within me."

It blesses my parents. And, in future, I expect it will bless my husband. For instance, today I am wearing a brightly colored floral skirt with a simple white top. When my dad came home for lunch, he commented several times on how nice I looked. My mom also notices and appreciates when I take the time to make myself look feminine. It reflects well on them to other people who may see me.

It reminds me to be more feminine. Wearing skirts or dresses is a constant reminder to behave in a more ladylike fashion. I simply feel more feminine and thus my actions reflect that!

It's fun! I don't think I ever outgrew the impulse to play "dress up." It certainly is fun to wear lovely clothes!

(Note: I don't think that exclusively wearing skirts or dresses necessarily makes you feminine -- femininity begins in the heart. For a treasure trove of worthy articles that address this issue, please visit Ladies Against Feminism's section on Femininity & Modesty.)