RETURN TO THE STONE SCHOOL

I had a chance to teach school for a short while today! Well, not exactly! Because of my job associated with the library, I was asked to accompany one of our directors to the Nottawa Stone School for a couple of hours for a field trip the library sponsored in conjunction with our summer reading program!

I was asked to present bits of lessons for about a half hour. We read from McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader, and wrote vocabulary words on the board. I played the old upright piano and we sang "America" and "Frogs Went to School." We had a full house for the program!

 I hope you will remember that back in November me and my daughter, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren took our own little field trip to this same country schoolhouse. http://lorizehr.blogspot.com/search/label/school   http://lorizehr.blogspot.com/2012/11/vanishing-american-education-part-2.html  It is made of fieldstone, prevalent on the nearby farms. Our farm is absolutely filled with fencerows of these stones and even boulders about 5-6ft. tall stand in our woods, having been gathered by farmers and piled up out of the fields for decades. We joke that we live on a stone quarry! My home is only a few miles from this school.

I made my prairie dress out of soft cotton and constructed an apron to match. Both patterns are old. The dress is from the '80's and the apron was a reproduction for the Bi-centennial era around 1976. I added ruffles to the front which weren't in the original. I even had the old-fashioned boots and straw hat to complete the outfit! Green and cream are one of my favorite color combinations for clothing, china, and decor! Both the boots and hat were very warm to wear on a day like today. I think it was about 93 during the morning hours we were at the school. Only the stiff breeze coming in these big old windows kept it tolerable. I stationed myself by the window for most of the program 'til it was time for me to "teach." The children's slates and chalk are on the window ledge.

 I know this picture is blurry, but through the open window and across the road, horses are grazing and pretty white barns that are typical of our beautiful rural county made a nostalgic scene if you could catch the view between cars on the highway!

This basin, pail, dipper, cup, and towel sit in the coatroom near the front door. Students in the old days probably would have used such to wash up before lunch and after recess.

 Here's my hat on the coat racks. Tall one for older students and teachers, shorter rack for little children. See the rope to the big bell in the belfry hanging next to the hat. The old picture is of a gathering of students, probably turn of the last century. Wainscoting lines the bottom of the walls. The entire building has been pretty well kept and the architectural details are great! One parent that attended the program said her parents attended school here. That was probably in the late 1950's or early 1960's. The school was built in 1870.

 Here's a view of the front behind the teacher's desk, up on the platform. See the wooden box? I am quite sure it is the old roller maps of the world by continent. We had them in all the classrooms when I went to school.I wasn't tall enough to unlatch and open this one, but I've searched auctions for 20 years trying to purchase one. Just last week I let one go to a higher bidder.

 I loved the way the flag seemed to be trying to cover the front door. We had a good wind out there today and we were all thankful. Even with the breeze, we were stifling by the time we left and you saw how I was dressed! I do not know how our ancestors were able to tolerate the heat in the old styles they wore.

And of course, the "necessary room." I think it is cute that this little outhouse was left, padlocked, of course, even after newer bathrooms were installed! Outhouses are another vanishing American scene.

I hope you enjoyed this little return trip to Nottawa Stone School, of my favorite historic locations in our pretty county! Blessings, LORI

SOME DETAILED VICTORIAN DOLLS

I decided to make Victorian rag dolls for the girls for Christmas. This is Betsy, Sophie's doll. I hope to picture Emma's doll on a future post. I was able to construct these dolls from scraps I had laying around. I don't think I purchased one single thing in the process. I always love to create bargain items.

I was really impressed with how these dolls turned out. I hadn't made dolls for years. Decided to alter the pattern just a bit and so I used black velvet to make the legs appear to have old fashioned high top shoes on and still left the main part of the legs in muslin color. Here's a close up of Betsy's feet. Hopefully more details to follow when we get some pictures of Emma's doll, Charlotte! Blessings, LORI

OLD FASHIONED PRINCESSES

Could hardly wait to share these pictures taken one day when the girls came over. They had fun in Granny's sewing room! Emma on the left, Sophie on the right. I love Sophie's smile.

Emma loved dressing up and wearing one of Granny's many antique hats (perfectly matched her dress) and looking at herseslf in the big oval mirror on the front of a cabinet in Granny's sewing room. (Used to be part of a furniture set of Emma's when she lived in Michigan!)

The ultimate dress up party! I love how the colors of Emma's dress and the colors of the room are a perfect match! Granny had as much fun as the girls, only Sophie didn't want to try her dress on! I love having these little girls home. Blessings, LORI

HOW YA GONNA' KEEP 'EM DOWN ON THE FARM?

I'm excited to share a few pictures of my grandparents during the WW1 years! My Grandpa was a soldier and Grandma was his faithful sweetheart back home on the farm helping her parents (they weren't married yet then)--just a couple miles from where I now live. The old WW1 song asks, "How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm, after they've seen Paris?" My Grandpa wanted to be sent to France, but he never made it there. Most of the time he was enlisted he spent cutting timber for the war effort out in Oregon and Washington. He and Grandma faithfully wrote back and forth for those years and our family is privileged to have stacks of letters--living history chronicles--to see how life was in those days! This is what scares me about email--do we take the time to save our mailings for the benefit of future generations??? Something to think about!

I adore the WW1 fashions and some of these pictures are of my Grandma in her wonderful WW1 era clothing. I would call the coat in the bottom picture a "duster." I once made one for myself and got umpteen compliments (used Folkwear's pattern) but now regret that I gave it away. I intend to make another one, this time for keeps! Notice the collar on Grandma's dress and her hats. I love the dress lengths and the shoes as well! I am currently sewing the "Armistice Blouse" by Folkwear and hope to picture it when it's finished. I trust you enjoyed these pictures and a glimpse into America's proud past. Blessings,

LOTS OF SPRING WORK!

Here are a few picturess of the new raised beds! I thought you might enjoy seeing what Emma and I did yesterday!


What a day of work! We dug up most of the old strawberries and replanted them in the new raised bed. The old rows were behind me. Rhiannon helped dig them and then she also planted onions. Later Clint and I made one more new raised bed. We got them all filled with dirt and even placed a large rock in the middle of the whole scheme to serve as the center of an herb bed. He will make a teepee pole for the center and I plan to plant pole beans and/or tomatoes and other vining things around it. The whole garden will be much more attractive than ever before, I hope! Already I can see the wisdom of raised beds. So much easier to work with. Emma is standing by the rhubarb, right where the old rows of strawberries used to be. We hope to also put up some pretty sturdy fence for melon and squash vines. A friend of mine does that, training her squash vines upward for less weeding and tilling and to save space. I plant to adjust the hollyhocks at the back of the garden to make good use of the squash fences as well. As you know I love hollyhocks and they belong on a sturdy fence! (Hey, isn't there a book like that????) I hope to also put a few birdhouses back there by the squash fence--a sort of cottage garden look for the vegetable plot.


I planted two rows of potatoes before darkness set in last evening. I was so tired and in such a hurry that I know the rows are uneven. I have more to plant plus peas and radishes. But today it has been raining at a very steady pace for most of the day and so we are forced indoors! I helped my mother in law today--her auction is next week--and I sewed on the little girls' dedication dresses. A very good day! I also met this morning with a counselor concerning finishing a bachelor's degree. I am investigating that possibility, trying to determine if the life-style change and committment will be worth it in the end! Pray for me on that one if you think about it! I want to do all to the glory of God and not just take on projects, whether that is the garden, education, writing books, or whatever! Blessings, LORI

SUNDAY ENCOURAGEMENTS

I sure wish I could show you the pictures of the lovely carrots I helped can yesterday! We did 21 quart and they looked so pretty in the jars! I drove all the way back from my friend's house alone, with no cell phone. I missed the exit I needed and had to turn around--a little scary out here where I don't really know my way around. But the Lord was with me and I got back just after dark. I really didn't want to be out several miles from where we're staying when I'm unfamiliar with the territory.

I am getting so much time to do projects while here--time I never seem to find at home! I spun last night and finished all the natural brown Corriedale roving that I had. Then I "plied" it, meaning that I twisted two strands together to make a 2-ply yarn. Got that all done with just a little brown left. I took the small bit of rose Corriedale I had spun and plied it to the rest of the brown making a bi-color that is lovely. Today I will start spinning more of the rose color. I may finish hemming the green dress as well.

It is "still" here today--very unusual. Hardly any wind. It will make my walking easier. I missed exercising yesterday and must get a walk in since we're eating too well!

Enjoyed visiting our friends' church this morning. We are getting to be "regulars" there from our many visits. I know so many now as friends and it's always good to greet the people. We went out to lunch with some dear friends from there after church and enjoyed a great time of fellowship over a very good meal.

I hope you had a really good Sunday, worshiping the Lord! The sermon we heard this morning was all about praising the Lord. It was very encouraging. A verse, Psalm 27:13 has been running through my mind for days. It says, "I would have lost heart unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Let me make a few comments on this verse. David was a man of praise. I believe his practice of entering into frequent, heartfelt praise enabled him to look beyond his circumstances to hope and believe that he would see God's goodness in the midst of the earth. It's like he is saying that he will see God's power yet in this life, not only waiting for heaven or eternity to experience God's greatness.David was a man ahead of his time. He was an Old Covenant saint who often experienced the Spirit of the Lord "upon" him. It was so different for the believer back then. The presence of the Spirit of the Lord did not indwell every believer like He does now. The Spirit came "upon" people from time to time. But David had a hope and faith that was different. He was called a man after God's own heart. I am sure this verse that he penned could be an encouragement to us today. With all the negative things that are going on in our day and age, (challenged economy, governmental issues, etc., etc.,) we could get very depressed. We need to believe that we will yet see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I believe we do see His goodness every day if we will only be aware of it! Yet, we have hope for more and better things or we would "lose heart" as David described. Be encouraged by believing in the God of the Bible who longs to show His power on earth! Blessings from Iowa, LORI

WELCOME TO MY SEWING ROOM!

SHE IS NOT AFRAID OF SNOW FOR HER HOUSEHOLD, FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD IS CLOTHED WITH SCARLET. Proverbs 31:21

Carrie worked diligently for the rest of the afternoon putting the finishing touches on her new green velveteen dress she was making for winter. from "The Fields of May"


(Take a look at the pictures at the bottom of the page to see what I did on my Thanksgiving day!)


Welcome to my sewing room! Today I started a dress I've had in my 'design mind' for quite some time--ever since I wrote "The Fields of May," to be exact. I have wanted to make myself a dress similar to the one Carrie wore to the Christmas banquet in the book. Here is my attempt. This first picture is my dressmaker's dummy modeling the finished bodice over her "regular dress!"

The second picture is of the bodice back under construction. My main sewing machine sits by the window. It's great that I can look out while working. It keeps me from feeling closed in. Mom found this wonderful old machine for about $25 at Goodwill. It is green and matches the room!

In the third picture you can see the pattern laid out on the fabric waiting to be cut. I re-drew the pattern altering both the size and the style. Tricky, indeed. So far all is well. I cut the bodice pieces apart and added a "princess line" that the pattern didn't have plus a rounded hemline in the back bodice.

The final picture is the pattern that I made with muslin test pieces. Last summer I got a nice, large piece of muslin at a garage sale for 50cents. I knew right then that it would serve me well as a cheap piece of cloth for practice garmetns. The first muslin I made last night didn't fit right and so I had to re-draw the pattern today. Thankfully I have a huge roll of newsprint paper that I use for such things.

I hope you like my sewing room. It used to be JT's bedroom before he got married and moved out! As you can see, I turned it into what looks like a Victorian ladies' dress shop. He was horrified at first that I made it so feminine! I got very inexpensive wallpaper and border then added all the antiques. Notice the really ornate lamp behind the dummy? They were a gift that was given to me. I love them. There are two and they have dimmer switches. They are absolutely gorgeous when lit. The black chair by the sewing maching was a family heirloom brought from Pennsylvania with some of my family that first settled in Michigan. My grandma gave it to me when I was just a teen. The fan behind the dressmaker's dummy is from an auction as well as the antique wedding picture. Our old dining room table serves as my cutting table. Today being Thanksgiving, one thing I'm thankful for is my very adequate sewing room. It hasn't always been this way and I really appreciate a whole room for fabric pursuits!!!! Hope you had a great holiday, Blessings, LORI

BLESSED BREADMAKING!

BLESSED SHALL BE YOUR BASKET AND YOUR KNEADING BOWL Deuteronomy 28:5"She was putting the finishing touches on a green salad when the oven timer went off, alerting her that the dinner rolls were done. She opened the oven door and peered in at the pans of crusty, golden buns looking like amber bubbles, their beckoning aroma wafting through the cherry kitchen. She removed the pans from the oven and set them on the counter to cool. She rubbed a generous portion of butter over the tops and let its golden sweetness drip down over their sides." from "The Fields of May"

How are you doing today? I guess you can easily see how I spent my day! Of course, that wasn't all. The breadmaking occurred between laundry, interneting, and cleaning. These rolls are for our Thanksgiving celebration. I'll freeze them until our get-together on Saturday. I've used this recipe for years. We made probably about 500 of them for JT and Kori's wedding a few years ago. Talk about a job! They are made from oatmeal and are a family favorite. Today I accidentally doubled the batch and now we'll have plenty to spare! Oh, well!

Did you notice the verse I included at the top of today's post? I like this and the many other blessing verses listed in Deuteronomy. It reminds me that my homemaking is blessed by God. This week while you are cleaning, cooking, baking, and preparing for Thanksgiving, Christian ladies, remember that your efforts are blessed by God! Read the entire chapter I cited and learn all about the many blessings you can enjoy. Deuteronomy is full of little nuggets of exciting truth and wonderful gems for the Bible student. (I guess that's true of all scripture, right?)

I guess there's nothing more rewarding for a Titus 2 woman (I like to think I qualify!) than breadmaking! I used to do much more of it than I do now, but I still enjoy the results! We promptly used some of the rolls for our supper, knowing there were too many for the upcoming dinner! Awww!!!

As well as breadmaking, I prepared to enjoy another of my biblical-woman style hobbies today--sewing. I was thrilled to finally get a piece of pinwale corduroy in hunter green yesterday--at half price nonetheless! I've been wanting to design a dress that appeared in "The Fields of May." It is Carrie's Christmas dress that she wore to the Blooming Hills Christmas Banquet in an early chapter of the book. I will wear it when I do speaking engagements from now on as a further promotional for the book if it turns out well. Because I am doing some "design" work to make it unique, there is always the chance that it will flop! I sure hope not! I am trying to have it done to wear for an upcoming Christmas banquet I am invited to. Today I washed the fabric to prepare it for cutting. Will feature the results later--good or bad! Stay tuned, Blessings, LORI

FAIR PROJECT UPDATE!

Today I spent the day at the Fair with Clint. He worked in the chaplaincy booth, handing out information and talking to people who inquire about the ministry. I spent my time wandering around checking up on my items and knitting with the spinners and weavers guild. I also took a walk to the library since it's pretty convenient to leave the east fairground entrance and then it's not too far away. I really got my exercise today with that walk plus the walk from one end of the grounds to the other to check my entries.

I was a little bit surprised on a few items. Here's the rundown. No ribbon on the flowers--not a surprise at all since they basically died! No ribbon on the jelly--no surprise here either since I had only one and I was supposed to have three jars. I did get a blue ribbon on my WW1 postcards and fan holder. Also on the pressed flower pics I got a blue ribbon on the little pink ones, plus a second judge's choice! That was a pleasant surprise! They only give one first judge's choice and a second in a division, I believe. The larger ones got a red ribbon, but I was competing against myself.

Over to the needlework building--the 70's dress got a blue ribbon. That was a bit of a surprise. There was very little sewing entered in any category and the dress was the only one in it's division or class. But they don't have to award a ribbon if they don't think it's worthy, so I was glad for the award. Emma's placemat pantsuit got a blue as well. My felted handbag got a blue ribbon. I was a bit surprised at that, especially when I saw the caliber of the competition. Some very nice felted handbags were entered. The tatted cross bookmark got a red ribbon. Truthfully, I was surprised at that--not to brag, but I expected a blue. I have been a tatter for years and years, consider it my best accomplishment in needlework, and rarely get a red. Just goes to show you can't get over confident!Try, try again! My alpaca shawl got a blue and that surprised me. I expected maybe a red. Emma's smock got a white. So all in all I had a pretty good year. I'm satisfied. Now seeing the lack of sewn items, I wish I had taken one more dress over that I had finished. I thought it was not all that great, but I'm pretty sure it would have placed anyway. Oh, well. Next year.

After we got home I picked raspberries, tomatoes and put laundry on the line. Also washed 3 windows, their mini-blinds and screens. Did some housecleaning and got supper around. It was a productive day and it's back to the Fair tomorrow. Clint will be a the booth once more and I was invited to sit and knit with the guild again. My publishers had a nice poster and some information set up right across from the booth Clint was at. I'm looking forward to another day of fun with the other knitters, spinners, and weavers.

For the rest of the week until I am able to get a photo collage of the items after I pick them up on Saturday night, I want to start a new subject on this blog. Modesty. I feel like it is a related topic to courtship, Christian living, and so on. Plus it's a much needed subject that we sometimes overlook today. We as Christians need to address this a bit more than we do. I hope to make some observations that will stimulate some thinking on the subject. Stay tuned. Blessings, LORI