Being a Homemaker is a multi-faceted job. We want to learn new skills that will help us further our effectiveness in this ministry. But have you ever wanted to learn a new skill and not know where to begin? Have you ever wished you could fill in the “gaps” but were unsure as to how to go about it on your own? Well, let me tell you about the Autodidactic Homemaker. . . .

Continue reading at “Raising Homemakers”

I was recently discussing with some dear friends the subject of stay-at-home-daughters and time.  We talked about all the things we hope to learn and skills we want to have before entering marriage.  Beyond the basic skills of cleaning the home, caring for children, sewing, cooking wholesome meals and decorating cakes, there is a vast world of other useful skills that stay-at-home-daughters have time to learn.

As young women not yet married, we have the responsibility to become as well-rounded and useful as we can be.  Right now you probably don’t have the full care of running the home—this is an excellent opportunity to prepare yourself for the rest of your life.  The more helpful skills we acquire, the more useful, the more of a blessing we will be to our future husbands and families.

Think of these skills as an Invisible Hope Chest.

Your husband could have any kind of job: mechanic, business owner, economics professor, etc.—are you studied in many areas to be able to help him in whatever his calling may be?  Your family may someday have special diet issues—would you know enough about nutrition to accommodate those needs?  Could you start a homestead or home business from scratch and live self-sufficiently?  Do you plan to home-educate your children?  Are you collecting excellent books for them to read?  How do you plan to raise them to become God-fearing and useful men and women?

There is a host of other things to learn as well.  Systematic theology (there’s enough there to keep you constantly in awe for the rest of your life!), finances and banking, how to keep everything in the home running smoothly together, history, English, a foreign language, herbal medicine, science, home birth, and even some carpentry skills will be found quite useful.  And how are your communication skills?

How are you filling your invisible hope chest?  Perhaps you haven’t started on it yet, but what would you like to fill it with?

I’ve been reading J.R. Miller’s book The Family (formerly Home-making) and have been drinking in its beauty and wisdom. I highly recommend this book to every Christian who desires to bring honor to the Lord in their entire lives and learn how to better serve their families. This following quote is from the chapter, “The Parents’ Part.”

“But the true idea of a home is that it is a place for growth.  It is a place for the parents themselves to grow - to grow into beauty of character, to grow in refinement, in knowledge, in strength, in wisdom, in patience, gentleness, kindliness, and all the Christian graces and virtues. It is a place for children to grow - to  grow into physical vigor and health and to be trained in all that shall make them true and noble men and women.

“. . . A true home set up and all its life ordered for the definite purpose of preparing and sending out human lives fashioned into symmetry, filled with lofty impulses and aspirations, governed by principles of rectitude and honor and fitted to enter upon the duties and struggles of life with wisdom and strength.”

- J.R. Miller, The Family

“Evening Prayers” by Eugene Ernest Hillemacher

“. . . For every wife the first duty is the making and keeping of her home. Her first and best work should be done there, and till it is well done she has no right to go outside to take up other duties. She is to be a ‘worker at home.’ She must look upon her home as the one spot on earth for which she alone is responsible, and which she must cultivate well for God if she never does anything outside.

“. . . There have been wives who in their zeal for Christ’s work outside have neglected Christ’s work inside their own doors. . . . While they were winning a place in the hearts of the poor or the sick or the orphan, they were losing their rightful place in the hearts of their own household.

“Let it be remembered that Christ’s work in the home is the first that He gives to every wife, and that no amount of consecrated activities in other spheres will atone in this world or the next for the neglect or failure there.”

- from The Wife’s Part in The Family by J.R. Miller

“Is it heartless to be unconcerned about needs far away? We must not be unconcerned, but we must remember that we cannot fight every battle.”

- from Fathers, Daughters and “Mission Work” in So Much More by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin

“It is in her own home that this warmth of heart and this openness of hand are first to be shown. It is as a wife and mother that her gentleness performs its most sacred ministry.”

- from The Wife’s Part in The Family by J.R. Miller

(All emphasis mine)

Don’t you love baking for the holidays? I’ve made pies before, but never my own pie crust. The recipe I used was from my dear Aunt Lou. It was very easy to make, but I did have quite the time trying to get the hang of it!

Pie Crust:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbs shortening
- 2-3 Tbs cold water

“Mix the flour/salt together, cut in the shortening really well with a pastry blender and then sprinkle in 1 Tbs of water at a time as you mix with a fork til it miraculously wants to cling together, then you can form it into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk before you roll (on the clock, 12, 6, 3, 9, 2, 8, etc.).”

Edit: This recipe makes two pie crusts for two one-crust pies.

Here are some pictures of my first homemade pie crust experience:

Yeah . . . this was my first. Looks scrumptious, eh? After I trimmed the edges it didn’t look too bad, so we let it slide.

The second . . . not so much.

We decided it would be a good idea to try again. I wadded it back up, threw it in the bowl, added another tablespoon or two of water and kneaded it once more.

There we go. :)

And little crimped edges, too!

The kitchen smells so good when pumpkin pie is in the oven. Mmm!

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Check out my Aunt’s blog for more pie recipes, and especially this wonderful Sugar Cream Pie recipe.

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This little puppy thinks I’m his servant. And really, I am. But I like to think of it as training for when I have my own babies. Most mornings Bentley will wake me up at 2:00 AM to take him outside. Since it has turned cold, he’s been trying to do better.

But even during the day, with winter breezes and snow on the ground, the cold is almost too much for Bentley’s little frame. Poor little guy.

So I’m making him a sweater.

I’ve been collecting wool sweaters from garage sales for the past few years. I felted this $1 bargain by throwing it in a washing machine full of hot water.

Bentley would fall asleep every time I tried to measure him. Good sign, no?

Here are the pieces on the slow journey to being trimmed to the right shapes.

Adding buttons and and a blanket stitch edging.

And some final fittings . . .

. . . Isn’t he a handsome puppy?

This is my little sister, Emily Rose. Isn’t she a cutie?

Today is her 17th birthday, and I would like to share with you some pictures of her!

The first picture was taken in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, at the Portsmouth Light House. It was one of the most memorable vacations, even though Emily and I were ages 4 and 6. We traveled along the northern coast and saw lots of light houses, swam in the ocean, and even visited a castle perched on a mountain encircled with clouds. (At least that’s how I remember it.)

In the summer we would make daisy chains together. In this picture we had just finished our first fishing trip at one of the ponds. Emily was always much braver at baiting the hooks than I was!

Emily and Daddy . . . We had been in our enormous yard playing “gymnastics.” (Or was it ballet?) We did that a lot, Emily and I. Jump on mattresses, leap through the air, try to twirl in the grass, and tumble around till we were breathless. I guess I’m kinda glad we grew out of that, but don’t you miss those days, Emily?

The Lovely young Princess Emily Rose, Empress of HTML, and Chatelaine of Domestic Cheerfulness!

And this has to be one of my favorites - Emily posing in front of Granny’s puma grass, with a crown of daisies atop her head. That day I remember we had a family get-together, and we ate lots of watermelon.

Would you bless Emily with a birthday  greeting? Click here to leave her a comment. Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Emily! I love you!

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Thank you Heavenly Father for . . .

20. safe 7 hour bus ride

21. nearly butterfly-less performance

22. growing opportunities to minister through music

23. humbling realization that I must always lean on Jesus

24. God’s design for order found in beautiful music

25. fading fall colors

26. violet, frosty mornings

27. fog that clings to unharvested cornfields

28. Japanese maple by the Library

29. red berries

30. pressed leaves

31. time to read more

32. a warm home to clean

33. the God-given need to create, infuse life, and communicate

34. the black and white energy called Bentley that collapses into cuddly naps

35. the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave that we still fight for today

36. hearts of our forefathers that were wholly dedicated to the Lord

37. dangerous sea voyage and sacrifice of the Pilgrims

38. Providence of God in the forming of Plymouth plantation

39. . . . and Jamestown

40. . . . and our country

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My sister Emily Rose is hosting “A Homemade Christmas” again! Last year we enjoyed working on making gifts and sharing ideas with each other, and I’m so glad we get to do it again this Christmas season. Be sure to check the schedule so you can follow along and join in the fun!

I expect I’ll enjoy it even more this year, as I’m learning to knit. (Don’t tell Bently, but he’s getting a little sweater!)

This week I’ll show you my latest knitting project.

It’s a pouch for cough drops, or any other little lozenge or candy one would like to tote and not lose to the bottomless crummy depths of a purse.

I also added a crocheted loop and a black button to secure the opening.

While knitting, I realized I should have started with a larger size of needles. The pattern was looking a little cramped, so I added a chipboard insert to stretch it out a little and give it more shape.

For more Homemade Christmas inspiration, visit SimplyVintagegirl.com.

Okay, so y’all probably knew long before I did that knitting cables generally doesn’t take five needles. Saturday evening I finished my first cross-over.

Here it is (snickers):

Saturday night I decided I really needed help. I looked on YouTube and found some very helpful videos I’d like to share with you.

How to Knit : How to Knit a Cable Stitch - All this time I thought learning how to cable was for the knitting elite. Good grief. :)

This is a real cable:

For those who would like to see a lovely post in pictures on how to cable, The Purl Bee has a lovely post. (Scroll down aways.)

Here are some more helpful videos:

How to Knit Basics - The Cable Cast on Method

How to Knit Basics - Rib Cable Cast on Method

Continental Knitting Stitches : How to Knit Cable Stitches

And for Sara, the I-Chord: so über-easy, I can’t believe it! Did anyone ever “Cork” to make these?

And here is my latest knitting project-in-the-works:

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