Posted in Little Women Home Companion
Little Women Home Companion
September 2002
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their children,
to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands,
that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Titus 2: 4-5
Nature
People who hire all these things done for them, never know what they lose for
the homeliest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them, and Meg found proof of this,
that everything in her small nest, from the kitchen roller to the silver vase
on her parlour table, was eloquent of home love and tender forethought.
Lousia May Alcott
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A Visit With Marmee
Sharing A Mother's Thoughts
Dear Mothers,
I am sitting on the screened porch in the cool of the evening thinking of you. As I write one of our children plays in the backyard. An older child and my husband are working on our vehicle and I
suspect that my daughter is trying to find a quiet moment at the computer. I have had "one of those days". The kind that is so discouraging to me. There have been a lot of emotional ups and downs and I am not pleasant to be with. During these times I get a case of the "want -to -bes. I want to be a better wife, mother, friend. I also tend to feel so unworthy during these times. I have been praying to my Lord to forgive me for my attitude, for encouragement, and women to mentor to me.
As I grow older I realize the importance of women mentoring to one another. I was near thirty
when we began to have children and many of my mentors are and have been women younger than myself. They have had more experience and wisdom than I. I also try to mentor to them from the
experiences that I have had. This newsletter is one way that my daughter and I hope to mentor to you and your daughters. We hope to encourage you in your roles as keepers at home and in homemaking skills. Especially now as so many women work outside the home it has become increasingly important to pass these skills from mother to daughter....from one generation to another. Homemaking skills are so very important to the home and to home life. We need women and young ladies devoted to making their homes a pleasant place for family, a place of comfort and rest for their husbands. We need to teach them what the Bible teaches us in Titus 2 and Proverbs 31. Our Lord will not fail us in these tasks. Just as He knows my discouragement today (I have been talking with Him about it ), I know that "I can do all things through Christ who strenghteneth me". Phillippians 4:13
So can you!
I hope that in some way that opening my heart to you will encourage you to share yourself and your time with your daughter and other young ladies.
Jenny
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Poetry Thyme
Afternoon on a Hill
I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.
I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass
And the grass rise.
And when the lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down.
Edna St. Vincent Millay
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Little Women Companion
Dear Young Lady,
This is what chapter two of Little Women is about.
Joke woke up on Christmas day and found under her pillow a guide book. All the girls received the same book but with different covers. The girls began looking at their presents for Marmee. Amy had exchanged the cheap perfume for a bigger bottle. Beth put some roses on her gift. Marmee came home and opened all the gifts. Marmee told the girls about the Hummels (a family that had very little food). So they took their breakfast to the Hummels. The March's had bread and milk for their breakfast. Later the girls did a play. At the end of it Hannah told them that their mother wanted them for supper. They were all surprised but went downstairs to find a wonderful feast and they guessed where it had come from. It came from Mr. Lawrence who knew Marmee's father. Jo thought that the Lawrence boy (Laurie) had given Mr. Lawrence the idea. The Lawrence boy brought over four hot house bouquets of flowers. Marmee liked the roses from Beth the most. Marmee had not invited Laurie in, but one could tell that he wanted to as hearing the sounds he walked away. Jo wanted to get to know him and maybe let him act with them. Beth wanted to give her bouquet to Papa and was hoping he had a merry Christmas too!
Written narration by Caiti
edited by Mommy
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Tea Thyme
Birdhouse Theme Centerpiece
In the center of your table place an arrangement of birdhouses that are different sizes. Around this arrange Spanish moss or excelsior. Carefully place artificial ivy across the top of the birdhouses and on top of the moss. Take a handful of moss and shape it into a bird nest shape. Place it against one of the birdhouses and fill it with a few wooden eggs painted to resemble real ones. You may want to add some feathers from an obliging bird or some artificial flowers that coordinate with the color of your china. If this centerpiece is to be placed to the back of the table and up against a wall that has an electric outlet you could add some tiny Christmas lights within the moss and ivy. This would really be pretty if your tea was planned for evening hours.
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The Work Basket
How to begin your own nature journal
Needed Items:
Some type of sketchbook ( you can decorate the cover if you like)
Heavy unlined paper in a notebook will do a fine job too.
Pencils
Colored pencils
Watercolors
A nature journal is a very simple thing to start. All one needs to do is to observe and record what they find in nature. An example would be if you were to fins a flower on your lawn. You could draw and then paint or color your sketch. Write down the common and Latin name for the flower. Include the date of your observation and perhaps a poem, quote or hymn about your flower. It is that simple. We hope you will be enjoying your nature notebook soon.
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Thimbles and Threads
Nature Wreath
Needed Items:
Oval or round grapevine wreaths
Spanish Moss
Dried fern, lamb's ear, thyme, and other assorted dried flowers
hot glue gun (remember to help your child with this for they will burn your skin)
Use a hot glue gun to attach Spanish moss to the lower third of your wreath. Carefully glue sprigs of dried fern, lamb's ear, and thyme over the moss. On top of this add your dried flowers.
If you would like a more victorian look then glue a doily on top of the moss. Add the dried items and then lace, string pearls, and buttons. These would also be pretty if you use tiny three inch wreaths and make them into ornaments by gluing a ribbon to the top to hang it with.
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From Jo's Writing Garret
Dear Mothers and Daughters,
About a month ago a couple of doves came to live in one of our front porch ferns. One of them was so tame. My family and I were able to get very close to it. After two baby doves were born they soon left. It was sad. They had been there for awhile and were like friends. The Lord has surrounded us with so much beauty in nature.
Caiti
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The Cottage Pantry
Toffee Cookies
Two sticks of margarine, softened
Three-fourths cup sugar
Three-fourths cup brown sugar
one teaspoon vanilla
Two eggs
One teaspoon baking soda
One-half teaspoon salt
One cup pecans
One-half cup coconut
One-half bag almond toffee bits
Three-fourths cup quick oats
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together margarine, sugars and vanilla. Add eggs beating well.
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix it well. Stir in other ingredients. Drop by small spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes.
My daughter and I made these using part of a recipe from a Hershey's Homemade cookbook and then adding our own variations.
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Sparrow Post
Sparrow Post will continue next month.
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Our Window Seat
Book Reviews
Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Anderola is an inspirational book that is an encouragement to the homeschooling mother. I have spent the last few weeks enjoying my little visits with Carol the fictional mother in the story. Carol share with her homeschooling experiences during the 1930's. She like many of us is unsure about how to homeschool but knows that this is God's direction for her family. Carol begins her homeschooling experience by reading Home Education by a Miss Charlotte Mason. She is encouraged through Miss Mason's writings that she can teach her children and begins by incorporating nature study into their school activities. All of these experiences she share with us through her journal.
We learn about nature through her nature walks with her children. They draw what they observe and name each with both their common and Latin names as well as many poems and hymns. Carol share a year's worth of her homeschooling and nature experiences.
I really enjoyed my little visits with Carol and feel that you would too! I hope that you will take the opportunity to read this book and learn and grow from it.
This book would be very good for both the new and experienced homeschooling mother in learning about how to begin nature study with their children.
Jenny
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The Rose Garden
Websites that you may enjoy
A Christian Home
This website is filled with encouragement, ideas and recipes for the homemaker.
It is one of my favorite places to visit.
~http://www.achristianhome.com/~
A Source of Joy
A lovely website by a faithful young lady that loves the Lord.
Literature Admist Roses
This review was submitted by Cay who has developed this website for parents and children that love literature. We feel that you will really enjoy her site.
A literary website that seeks to encourage and support parents and children who have a love for literature. Its purpose is to develop the art and excitement of using great living literature in a learning lifestyle. This site will offer information on different literature study methods, building a book club program, how to develop and organize a home library, use living literature with lapbook learning, make beautiful notebooks and journals and much more! Free forms, book wish lists, and essays will be available soon! A literary book is being developed to help implement and develop these ideas. For more information, go to:
Live a Learning Lifestyle with Living Literature
~ http://www.geocities.com/gibsevengang/literature_study.html ~
Find out how to make a cherished book into a living book.
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Marmee's Nature Journal
I have had the opportunity to observe the most fascinating occurrence this month and would like to share it with you. I have been observing a mother at work. This particular mother is a gray dove. She spent many days trying to build her nest in a fern on our front porch. Although I hate to admit it I spent the same amount of days trying to discourage her by pulling it out. I must have missed one day for when I went to check it again she had managed to build her nest and lay her eggs before I caught her. I decided to leave her alone and watch her. At one point this mother even let me and the children touch her tail. This is the first time a wild bird has ever let me touch them so of course she had already won my affection. I would come out and talk with this dedicated mother every morning as I watered my ferns. She was always there. I have never observed a bird that stayed with their nest this way (I suspect it may have been daddy bird at times). When her babies were born she continued to stay with them. I Think daddy helped a lot with either feeding her or the little ones. Alas one morning I awoke to find them gone. I was sad for I had so enjoyed watching this little family that God had created. Later that same day my daughter noticed the young in our landscaping. They are still there with mother and father nearby. I think of that dedicated mother every time I hear the cooing of a dove. I hope that your family will spend some time observing the world that our Lord had made.
I also pray that we will all be as dedicated to our little ones as this mother.
Jenny
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Till Next Thyme
We hope that you have enjoyed this nature issue of Little Women Home Companion. We also hope that this Autumn will find your outdoors with your family learning more about God and this beautiful world that He has made. Maybe He will bless you with the opportunity to meet someone that does not know Him so you can share your love for the Savior with them.
Jenny and Caiti
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Little Women Home Companion is a monthly newsletter for mothers and daughters.
Copyright 2002-2003 Little Women Home Companion
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